If Given The Chance
by Wolfgirl619
Summary: She had escaped her mother's abuse, yes, but she fears she's slowly turning into her. She thinks a stranger is her dead friend, and doesn't know how she feels about her cubhood best friend. After a tragic incident, she keeps secrets from the whole Pride. The upcoming battle will be bloodier than expected thanks to the Outsiders' new ally, and it's all her fault.
1. Chapter I

**Edit: Sorry, if the first couple of chapters are boring and not so inetresting. They get better, I promise. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter I**

"Why, you little brat! That was the perfect meal! And you just _had_ to make noise and get in the way, didn't you!" Kikatili yelled at her daughter.

The young cub slowly backed up against a large rock, cowering in fear of her mother. "I-I'm s-sorry, mother. I didn't m-mean to. I just got kind of nervous…"

"Do you _want_ us to starve to death? That one zebra could've been wonderful for this week. And you let it get away!"

The cub winced as her mother brought her face closer to her own. "No. I-"

"Silence!" the lioness raised her paw up with her claws extended, and slashed at the helpless cub. The small lioness held back a painful scream. She tried to get away, but her mother slammed her paw down on the cub's tail and sank her claws deep into the skin. "The only place you're going to is home!"

Kikatili picked up her daughter in her mouth, not by her scruff like she is supposed to, and pressed down a little, making the cub yelp. The mother started walking towards the small, cold, dark cave.

She set her cub down on the floor in a very non gentle way. "Tomorrow, I will go hunt on my own and you will stay here. I've had enough of you this week." She gave her daughter a cold, hard stare. Her daughter hated how her mother's bright green eyes bore into her blue eyes. But, her light brown hair tuft, with was a lot darker than her pelt color, sort of covered both her eyes since it was pretty messy.

The girl curled up into a small ball and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The little lioness waited until her mother was completely out of sight and hearing range. She slowly walked out of the cave, still aching from the unpleasant hunt the night before. She stretched, but winced as she realized it was a big mistake to do so. The cub went the opposite of the direction her mother went, and headed into the greenest part of the savannah that she was banned to go to. _I'm pretty sure I'll make it home before she does. It takes a while to find an isolated zebra or antelope out there,_ she told herself.

As she ventured the Pridelands, she began to wonder what it was like to live in such a beautiful place. The grasses were as green as jades. The water sparkled like sapphires. Though, the sunrise made the river seem like it was made of burning gold. Oh, and the fresh, clean air was amazing as well.

She knew that the same sun that warmed her back was the same that warmed her at home, but in the Pridelands, it wasn't as intense. It actually felt great. The cub saw the large, golden-blue river. She ran up to it and took one sip. The water was cool, fresh, and delicious. She decided to take a long, refreshing drink. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was. It surprised her that she still hadn't died from going without water so long. Even though she was still a young cub, she couldn't even remember the last time she had drank water.

"Wow. You must be _really_ thirsty." The cub jumped back, frightened. She looked up to see a male lion. He was maybe a couple of months, maybe a year, older than her. He had golden-yellow fur, aqua-green eyes, and a brown tuft on his head.

The little lioness's ears lowered. She couldn't help but feel scared of the stranger. She started backing away slowly. The older lion raised an eyebrow. He then understood what was going on. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

The little cub opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut. She didn't know wether she could trust this lion or not. The boy decided to introduce himself first. "Okay, then. I'll go first. My name is Kopa. Now, what's your name?"

The young lioness gathered just a little bit of courage. Only enough to speak quietly. "My name is…." again, she didn't say.

"I can't here you. Say it again pleased." Kopa lowered himself down to her level to look into her eyes.

"I said that my name is Nyota," the cub said a little louder.

"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Nyota."

"Nice to meet you, too, Kopa." She sat up and sighed with relief. Hopefully, she had just made a new friend. Well, her first and only friend.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you one of those cubs that never comes out of Pride Rock?"

"What's Pride Rock?"

Kopa chuckled. "Guess not. It's where I live. Wait, are you...an Outsider cub?"

"N-no. I'm not allowed to go there. Or here." She whispered that last sentence to herself.

"I didn't think you were. You don't look like any of the Outsiders I've seen before they were banished. Where's your mother?" Kopa asked, looking around.

"She's out hunting. She won't be back until after dark."

"Oh. Do you have any friends with you?" Kopa said. Nyota shook her head. "Well, now you do."

Nyota's ears percked up. She smiled. "Really?"

"Definitely. How about I show you where I live?"

Nyota nodded. "Okay."

* * *

While they walked, Kopa told Nyota stories about his adventures as a younger cub. Some had to do with a certain cub, who he seemed to care much about. He mentioned that he hadn't seen her after he got older. He also taught her how to play 'I Spy'. Which they also played. Just then, a large stone cave came into view. "Here we are. Pride Rock."

Nyota gasped. "Wow. I've never seen anything like it. Do you really live here?"

"Yep. My dad's the king of the Pridelands."

The little cub stopped dead in her tracks. "K-king? You mean King Simba?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Some lioness my mother knew said that Simba is an evil, power obsessed murderer."

"That's not true. My father is a very kind, overprotective king. He would never murder anyone. He only hunts for food. It's not murdering. Who is this lioness you speak of?" Kopa asked.

"I don't remember her name. But it was something like Nira. Mira. Kira. Or something like that. I can't remember. But, if you say that your dad really isn't anything like what she described, I believe you." She gave him a smile.

"Great. You should meet my family first. They aren't bad at all. Come." He ran towards the large rock. Nyota followed. As they made their way up, they passed a few lionesses sitting on rocks under the shade of trees.

Nyota must've been a little too excited. When they almost reached the top, she yelped a little too loudly. "Kopa looked back. "What's wrong?"

Nyota put her head down. "Nothing. I probably stepped a sharp rock, or something," she lied.

"Oh. Okay," Kopa said. Not sure whether she was telling the truth or not. He stared at her a second longer before he started to walk again.

When they reached the top, a male lion with a reddish-light brown mane walked out of the lion den. He stretched and yawned. After he did, he greeted his son. "Good morning, Kopa. Who's your friend?"

"Mornin' dad. This is Nyota." He gently pushed his new friend foward with his paw.

"Hello, Nyota. I'm Simba." The king smiled warmly at her. All of these kind smiles she recieved that day made her feel weird, but in a good way. Maybe.

"Hi, King Simba." She said nervously. Behind the king, a beautiful lioness walked out.

"Good morning, Kopa. Who's this?" She smiled kindly at the small cub.

"Good morning, mom. This is Nyota."

"It's nice to meet you, Nyota. My name's Nala."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Queen Nala."

"Please. No need for formalities. You can just call me Nala," The queen said.

Nyota nodded. Then added, "You have very pretty eyes."

Simba's mate smiled at her again. "Thank you dear. You do, too." Nyota beamed at the complement. Whatever animal she ran into, or even her mother, had said her eyes were weird. They were dark blue, with a mix of purplish colors, and silver flecks.

"Hey, mom. Where's Kiara? I want her to meet Nyota." Kopa looked around to see if his little sister was anywhere in sight.

"She's out with Anga and Gem. Zazu is out there with them aswell. They won't be back until the sun starts to set."

"Oh. That's too bad. I really want to meet her. I have to be home before dark. My mother will be finished hunting and on her way home," the female cub said.

"Oh. I was hoping that you would stay over for dinner. We could maybe get to know you better if you stayed. Maybe tomorrow?" Nala suggested.

"Um, mom. I think Nyota may need to eat breakfast. Her stomach was growling nonstop on the way here." Kopa looked down at his friend, who suddenly seemed interested in the ground, but agreed with him.

"Well, the lionesses left not to long ago. Nala was going to go catch up with them. Maybe you can stay a bit longer to eat something that'll fill you up?"

The cub gave him a huge grin. "Yes, please."

* * *

"She sure can eat," Simba whispered to his mate as they watched Nyota eat the zebra leg with rapid speed, while Kopa ate half of one at a slow speed. "Hey, Nyota. When was the last time you ate or had water?" Simba asked as the cub licked the remaining bones.

"Umm,"she couldn't lie to the king. "Um…...three weeks ago."

"Why so long ago?" the king asked in a worried voice.

"Well, where I'm from, there's not a lot of food. But I don't know if it's worse than the Outlands or not. I'm not allowed to go there."

"Where do you live?" Kopa's father asked worridly.

"Over the river and through the tall, dry grass. Then there should be a whole bunch of dry land and dangerous stone walls. I live in one of the caves."

"Oh. Do you think I can bring you home and talk to your mother about living here in the Pridelands?" Simba asked. He started to wonder if there was a reeason why this young cub and her mom lived awat from everyone else. She clearly wasn't an Outsider.

"No! Er, no. She's very, very busy. And she really needs to rest once she gets home and and eats."

"Oh. Um, okay then. Are you sure?" He didn't want Nyota to grow up in a dangerous place with a scarce amount of food and water. He decided it'd be a good idea to see her mother the next day if possible.

"Yes. Very sure." She laughed nervously. She looked behind the king and saw that the sun was about to set. "I have to go. Thanks for the late breakfast. I had fun today. I might see you tomorrow. Thanks again!" she called as she ran out of the lion den.

She really hoped that her mother would get there long after her. Crossing the river slowed her down a bit. She couldn't find the log she had crossed earlier. It must've been farther down the river. After she made the choice to dog-paddle across the river and crossed it, she ran as fast as she could to her cave. She dodged many falling jagged rocks about the size of her head.

Nyota was relieved when the cave came into view and was completely abandoned. Or so she thought. As she started to walk in, a harsh toned voice came from behind her. "Where have you been?!"

Nyota jumped and turned around slowly. "Nowhere…"

" _Don't_ lie to me, girl! Tell me where you were." Kikatili striked her cub's back harshly with her knife-like claws.

"Ah! I was at the Pridelands!" Nyota said in pain.

"I _told_ you not to go there! They are all murderers!"

"No, they're not! They fed me and weren't mean even though I was a stranger. King Simba isn't a killer, either! I met his son, wife, and Simba himself!"

The older lioness roared and threw her cub aside with her paw, her claws extended. "Don't you ever yell at me again, child! Next time you disobey me, the cosequences will be even more intense!" Kikatili growled. She picked her cub up just as harshly as the night before, and set her down inside the cave. "Tomorrow, I will train you to be like me:Strong, fearless, powerful, and show no mercy! When ever I go hunting, I will be home _before_ the sun sets. And when it's your turn to llearn to hunt, you will wake up before sunrise!"

~0~

That night, Nyota dreamed that Kikatili and her went to the Pridelands. They killed every living creature in sight. But, when it came to the lions, Nyota remembered that she wasn't a killer and turned her back on Kikatili. Her mother was furious and attacked them with the Outsiders, who came out of nowhere, and almost won. Nyota fought alongside two Outsiders who turned their backs on their own pride. One female, and one male. One male lion was being attacked by multiple lionesses from the Outlands. He was stronger thanthen. He had a light brown mane, and a golden pelt. Before he won, the leader of the Outsiders pounced on his back and slashed at him while the others held him down. Before anyone could reach him and help, the lioness killed him. Nyota screamed his name, but no sound came out.

* * *

 **A/N I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I only accept constructive critism. And if any of you have ideas, feel free to share and I will think about puttin into the story. Thanks :)**


	2. Chapter II

**Hey guys! So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and that you enjoy this one as well. I realized that there were a lot of typos in the last one, and I will fix them later on. First, let me answer the guest review(s)**

 **Faith: Your first two questions will be answered in this chapter, and maybe a bit more later on in the story. And here are the translations: Nyota- Star in Swahili. And her mother's name a friend of mine came up with. Kikatili- cruel in Swahili. I maybe would've chosen something different, but I was halfway done with the story before I looked it up.**

 **Maja: I am really glad you liked my story :) Maybe one of the Pridelanders will find her. I really wasn't going to pair her up with Kopa, but I may consider it. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter II**

"Don't worry, Kopa. Maybe she woke up late, or maybe her and her mother are busy," Nala reassured her son.

"Maybe. But, I still have this feeling that something is wrong. She seemed very tense every time we mentioned her mother and sunset. Do you think maybe I should go see where she lives?" Kopa said.

"I don't know. She wasn't very specific about the cave she lived in. She also mentioned that it was a very dangerous place. I can't risk having you go there," Simba told his son.

"I know."

"Maybe she'll show up later on. Or maybe tomorrow. Just go have fun with your other friends."

 _Yeah, but you forgot one thing: my true friend is on the other side and I'm not allowed to go there. My newest friend could be in possible danger._ But instead, he said, "Okay. Fine. I'll see you later, dad."

* * *

"Wake up, Nyota! It's time to start your training." Kikatili said harshly.

"But why so early? Why before the sun comes up. It's too dark, mother."

" Just get up. You remember Zira, right?"

"Kind of. Why?"

"She and her cub are here to help you train. Now get up," Kikatili said a little louder. Nyota sat up, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her mother picked her up in her mouth again, and walked out of the cave. She set her cub down in front of another cub that looked to be around Kopa's age. But, maybe a bit younger.

"Hello, Nyota. The last time I saw you, you were only a few days old," Zira said. "This is my daughter, Vitani."

"Hi, Zira. Hi, Vitani," Nyota greeted.

"Hey, Nyota. Can't wait to start your training?" Vitani said with an evil smirk.

"Y-yeah. Can't wait." She sighed.

* * *

"Yes. Now attack!" Vitani did as her mother said. She jumped at Nyota with her claws extended. Nyota had dodged it. Vitani missed by a hair.

Nyota growled and jumped on Vitani's back. She bit down on her shoulder as hard as she could. Vitani yelped and threw her off. She scratched the cub's back with her claws. Nyota was glad that it didn't hurt as much as her mother's scratches.

She winced, but held back a scream. She went for Vitani's eyes. The older lioness saw this coming, and threw the cub aside. Vitani jumped at her again. She picked the cub up in her mouth and threw her against a rock. Nyota yelped, but she threw sand in Vitani's eyes. As Vitani tried to blink it out, Nyota jumped on her and scratched her multiple times and bit her.

"Great job, Nyota," Kikatili said. Proud of her daughter, for once. "Now finish the job!"

Nyota raised her paw, claws elongated. She then stopped. "Wait, you want me to kill her?"

"No, just knock her out unconscious. It may kill her, but might not. Depends on how hard you do it."

The cub slowly backed away. "No, I won't do it. It's not fair."

" _Life_ isn't fair. Now do it!"

"No!"

"You have to learn to show no mercy!" Kikatili couldn't believe her daughter. She was trying to raise her the way she was raised. It had made her stronger. Kikatili roared at her daughter and slashed at her with her claws. Nyota yelped.

"But, I don't want to hurt anybody!"

"That is the only way you can learn to survive!" Nyota dodged this one slash.

"There are other ways!"

"Very useless ways!" She couldn't dogde this slash. It was the most painful one.

She couldn't help but scream. "Maybe she's had enough, Kikatili,"Zira said. Her daughter stood beside her rubbing her eyes.

"There's no such thing as 'enough'. You should know that, Zira," the other lioness snapped. "This training session is over!"

Zira and Vitani left quickly. Kikatili picked up her daughter harshly and dropped her inside the cave. "Where are they going?" Nyota asked.

"Back to the Outlands. As for you, you won't be leaving anytime soon."

"I-I'm sorry. I really didn't want to hurt her. I thought we weren't supposed to kill each other in training."

"If you live, you live. If you die, you die! You weren't supposed to show mercy! That's just shows that you are weak! I will not accept weakness!" She scratched her daughter harder than ever and sent her flying across the den, hitting a cave wall harshly. Nyota cried out in pain and tried to catch her breath. Before she could go at it again, she was attacked by a larger lion. Nyota took one look at him.

"Simba…" she then passed out.

~0~

King Simba pounced on the lioness before she could hurt the young cub anymore. He heard the little cub whisper his name. When he looked over to her for a quick second, she was passed out. Kikatili jumped at him and scratched his back. He roared and slashed back at her. Behind him, Zira appeared. She had heard all the noise and went back to see what it was. "Simba." She jumped on him as well. Nala came and attacked her along with other lionesses.

"Kopa!" she called for her son.

He entered the cave. He had an alarmed look on his face. "Yeah," he said out of breath.

"Take Nyota to Pride Rock and bring her to Rafiki. Hurry! She's in the corner." She went back to fighting Kikatili with the other lionesses.

Kopa ran over to where his mother said Nyota was. She laid there with her eyes close and scratch marks all over her body. Her breathing was slow and shallow, but she was still alive. "It's okay, Nyota. We're taking you home." He gave her a gentle nuzzle. Kopa picked her up in his mouth, ever so gently but also firmly, and ran out of the cave, avoiding the falling rocks. He couldn't believe the way Nyota's mother had treated her. It was so wrong in every single way. Nobody should live like that.

He crossed the river over the river on a log. Being very careful not to fall. He ran as fast as he could to Pride Rock. When he got there, Rafiki, the shaman, was there waiting for him. "Come, bring her inside. Quickly."

* * *

"Her injuries are very severe for a young cub to handle. I am very surprised that she had survived her mother's abuse," Rafiki told the royal family.

"That wasn't a mother. That was an evil monster trying to take all her anger out on an innocent cub," Kopa growled. "Will she be okay?"

"She will live. All she needs is lots of water, and a whole lot of rest. She will, hopefully, be completely healed within a week and a

half." Rafiki gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Kopa. Rafiki will take great care of her," Simba told his son.

"For now, we all need some sleep. We have had a very long day," Nala said.

Simba and Nala walked out of the healing den and headed for the one at the top of Pride Rock. Kopa followed them. But after he said by to Nyota. "See you when you get better, Nyota," he whispered, not knowing if she heard him or not. He then ran after his parents to get a goodnight's sleep.


	3. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

That week and a half had gone by pretty fast. Kopa had spend pretty much everyday with Nyota to see how she was doing. His sister went along with him most of the time. Nyota and Kiara got to know each other, but didn't get to play really fun games due to Nyota's condition.

The day she got better enough to go outside and play a bit, Kiara had introduced her to her friends. Anga was a small leopard cub with chocolate brown eyes and a shy personality. Gem was a lion cub. She had dark orange eyes, a golden brown pelt, and a cream colored underbelly. She was _very_ talkative.

Kiara had orange eyes, a golden beige pelt, and a cream colored underbelly as well. She had a cheerful personality.

Nyota looked different than the other two cubs. She had a very light beige pelt, dark blue eyes with silver flecks, and a very light cream colored underbelly that was close to white. And, even though she's a girl, she had a light brown tuft on her head. Nyota was a couple of months older than the other cubs because she was born a little bit before Scar's reign ended.

"Hey, Nyota. You wanna play tag? It's really, really fun. I'm not very good at it, but Anga and Kiara are. Have you ever played?" Gem said with a big smile.

"I don't know how to play," Nyota admitted.

"It's easy. One of us is 'It'. The other players who aren't 'It' have to run from the one who is as 'It' chases them. If whoever isn't 'It' gets tagged by the one who is becomes 'It' and the other person who tagged them is no longer 'It'. So that pretty much happens throughout the entire game until we get tired of playing, want to play something else, or it ends at whoever gets tagged the most loses, and whoever gets tagged the least amount of times wins," Kiara explained out of breath.

Nyota stared at her with wide eyes. "That's a lot to remember."

"It's a lot easier than it sounds," Anga said with a smile.

"Oh. Okay then. Let's play!"

"I'll be it! I'll give you guys a five second head start." Kiara said. The leopard and two lions started to run as she counted. "One...two...three...four...five! I'm gonna get you guys!" She started running after them. Since the three split apart, she went after Anga first.

"You won't catch me, Kiara!" Anga laughed as she ran up a tree.

"I will today!" She climbed up the tree as well, but not as fast as the leopard had.

Anga stuck her tongue out at Kiara. "I am the master of climbing trees."

Kiara was a hair away from tapping Anga, but the leopard jumped down onto a lower branch and down the tree. "Told ya so."

Kiara gave her an annoyed look. Anga waited for Kiara to climb down. Once the lion cub set one paw on the ground, Anga darted away. "Hey! I was so close to catching you!" Kiara decided to go after Gem instead.

Gem was sitting behind a large rock. Kiara had heard her giggle. She climbed the rock silently and jumped in front of her friend.

"Aha!"

"Eeeeek!"

"Tag! You're it!"

"No fair! You know I'm the slowest," Gem said.

"Exactly. Try and catch me," Kiara said as she ran away from the other lion cub.

Gem ran after her friend as fast as she could. She was too far away. Gem then spotted Nyota near by. She ran up to her silently. Or, at least she tried too. Nyota had heard her. She ran the opposite direction. "Ha! Nice try, Gem!"

Nyota was having the most amazing time ever. For the next two hours, they played. The 'It' was Gem, then Kiara, Nyota, Gem, Kiara, Gem, Gem, Gem, Nyota, Kiara, Nyota, Anga, Gem, Kiara, and Gem.

Their last game was interrupted by Simba. "Girls. I need to talk to Nyota for a bit. Is that okay?"

Kiara nodded in disappointment. "Yeah. Okay, daddy."

"Thank you, Kiara." He smiled. "Nyota, come with me." Nyota did as she was told. Once they were out of hearing range, Simba started to talk. "How long has your mother been doing these horrible things to you?"

Nyota hesitated. "Well, I really don't know. She has been doing this for a while. Mostly when I accidently did something wrong. Or when I disobeyed her, or didn't do as she told me to, or if I talked back. The night before I first met you guys, I had accidently let our only food source of that week get away. And she then… beat me. And it hurt so bad. I really wanted to scream, but I couldn't"

"Is that why you didn't want me to take you home and meet your mother?" the king asked.

Nyota nodded. "She's not very fond of you. What happened to her, anyway? Did you kill her?"

"No! I would never do such thing. We...persuaded her to take a long walk to the Outlands, or somewhere far from you."

"Do you think she'll ever come back? Will she take me back and hurt me again?"

"No. I will never let her hurt you. Or anyone else. I promise you that." Simba gave her a kind smile.

"Really? Thank you, King Simba," Nyota said.

"You can just call me Simba."

"Okay. But, what happens now?"

"Well, would you like a new mother?" Simba asked.

"No."

The lion raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because mothers hurt their cubs and do terrible things to them if they do something wrong. Even by accident. They beat their cubs until they scream and cry." Nyota started to cry a little bit.

Simba pulled Nyota into his chest, embracing her. "No. They don't."

"Yes, they...do. My mother did it all the time."

Simba now understood what was the problem. Kikatili had filled her cub's head with horrible thoughts."They're not supposed to do those terrible things. They discipline their cubs, yes. But they're not supposed to beat or hurt their children in any harmful way. Physical or not. They care for their cubs, feed them, bathe them, and clean their wounds. They're supposed to be their for their children no matter what."

"My mother never did any of those good things."

"I can't believe the way acted towards you. But, luckily, you won't have to go through that ever again."

Nyota pulled away to look up at Simba. "Really?"

"Really," Simba smiled.

"I guess a new mother wouldn't be so bad after all." She smiled back.

* * *

Later that day, all of the different animal of the savannah gathered at Pride Rock. Simba walked up and cleared his throat. "I am happy to announce that we have a new member of the Pridelands." The animals cheered. "Nala and I aren't expecting another cub. It's much different than that. Nyota is a young cub who lived off of the Pridelands and off of the Outlands. Her mother didn't treat her the way a loving mother should treat their own child. We managed to save Nyota a week and a half ago.

So, what I am saying is, that she is now one of us. Nala and I are willing to adopt her as our own. Unless, any of the other lionesses would like to adopt her instead." The crowd started to murmur.

Then, "King Simba, I would like to adopt Nyota."

* * *

 **I really hope you guys liked this chapter. It took me a while to come up with it. Please review and tell me what you think. Feel free to share any ideas! :)**


	4. Chapter IV

**The new character's name is Aina. It's pronounced like heyna. But it's obviously without the 'H' sound in the beginning. Aina- Kind in Swahili**

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: I know what you mean. I think that in this chapter I may show who I will pair Nyota up with. I like my decision, but I'm not sure most people will. Oh, well.**

* * *

 **Chapter IV**

All eyes turned on the lioness as she walked up to Simba and Nyota. She had a tan pelt, a cream underbelly, and blood red eyes. She had a very warm smile. It made Nyota know that she wasn't alone. The lioness cleared her throat and spoke again. "I would like to take Nyota in as my own."

Simba raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about the choice you are making? Taking care of a child is a lot of work."

"I am absolutely sure, King Simba. I promise I will be the best mother I can be to her." She looked down at Nyota and gave her a kind smile.

"Very well. Nyota, it is your choice. Would you like Aina to be your new mother?" he asked the cub.

Nyota looked up at Simba. Then, at Aina. "Yes! Yes, please! Yesyesyesyes _yes_!" She smiled brightly. She seemed happier than Simba had ever seen her. She practically pounced on her new mother. "Thank you for adopting me, Aina."

"You don't have to thank me. And, you can call me mom from now on." She embraced her new cub.

* * *

Nyota had spent her first night with her new mother. She lay in between Aina's paws. "Hey, mom," she said quietly, careful not to wake up the others.

"Yes, Nyota?"

"I can't sleep."

"And why is that?" Aina asked.

"I keep having nightmares about my mo- Kikatili coming after me and...killing everyone," she replied.

" You don't have to worry. She won't be coming anytime soon. And if she does, I'll protect you. I promise."

Aina then told her cub a poem.: _  
_" _'Twas noontide of summer,  
And mid-time of night;  
And stars, in their orbits,  
Shone pale, thro' the light  
Of the brighter, cold moon,  
'Mid planets her slaves,  
Herself in the Heavens,  
Her beam on the waves.  
I gazed awhile  
On her cold smile;  
Too cold- too cold for me-  
There pass'd, as a shroud,  
A fleecy cloud,  
And I turned away to thee,  
Proud Evening Star,  
In thy glory afar,  
And dearer thy beam shall be;  
For joy to my heart  
Is the proud part  
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,  
And more I admire  
Thy distant fire,  
Than that colder, lowly light."_

When Aina looked down at her cub, she was sleeping peacefully in her mother's paws. "Goodnight, my little Evening Star. May your dreams be filled with joyus adventure." She licked her cub and went to sleep herself.

* * *

Nyota woke up later than she usually would the next day. She woke up in her mother's paws. Aina woke up a minute after her daughter. "Good Morning, Nyota. Did you sleep better last night?"

"Yes. _A lot_ better, thanks to you, mom." She got out of her mom's paws and stretched.

Aina did the same thing and yawned. "Nyota. I have to hunting with the other's in a couple of minutes. Nala and the other lionesses will be bringing their cubs to show them how to hunt. You can come, if you want, or you can stay here. It's your choice,

sweetie."

"I really don't want to go, mom."

Aina didn't question her daughter's answer. " That's fine. If you want, you and I can go together by ourselves someday. That way you don't have to worry about messing up the others. I'll just show you what to do."

"Yeah. I would like that," Nyota smiled at her mother.

"Great. I'll see you later." Aina walked out of the den after giving her daughter a lick and one last smile before she left.

After all of the lionesses and the female cubs were gone, Simba and Kopa woke up. "Nyota. I'm surprised to see you here. Did you not want to go hunting with your mother and the others?" the king asked.

Nyota shook her head. "I really didn't want to go. I usually mess things up."

"I'm sure you won't do that. It's a little too late to catch up with the lionesses now. So, I guess you'll be spending all day here then. I'm going to go get some water. You kids can go have some fun." Simba walked out of the den and headed for the water hole.

"You wanna play a game?" Kopa asked.

Nyota beamed. "Sure! What game"

"Hide 'n' Seek. One of us hides, while the other counts to thirty with their eyes closed. When they're done counting, they look for the person that is hiding after yelling 'Ready or not, here I come!'"

"Okay sure! Can I count first?"

Kopa laughed. "Sure. But you'll never find me. If you give up, just say so. 'Kay?"

Nyota nodded. "Sure,"then she started to count, " one...two...three...four...five…."

Kopa ran out of the den and looked for a good hiding spot. He then spotted it. He smirked and started to climb.

"Twenty-seven...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...THIRTY!" She opened her eyes. "Ready or not, here I come!" She ran out of the den and started to search for her friend. She looked behind every rock, under every log, and inside every large burrow.

She then spotted some movement somewhere. She slyly grinned and pounced on the creatures she thought were Kopa. They screamed, "AHHH!"

She shrieked. "EEEEK!"

"The Outsider cub is gonna eat us!" the warthog covered his eyes with his hooves.

"No she's not, Pumbaa. Otherwise she wouldn't have screamed, too. She doesn't look like one of them. Jeez, kid, ya almost gave me a heart attack," the meerkat said.

Nyota gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I thought you were my friend. We were playing Hide 'n' Seek."

"See, Pumbaa. She wasn't gonna eat us."

Pumbaa laughed, embarrassed. "Oh, my bad. Hehe."

"Sorry I scared you guys. I didn't mean too," the cub apologized.

"No problem. We were just eating grubs. Wanna try some?" the meerkat held up a leaf with different critters on it.

Nyota made a face. "No thanks. I have to go look for my friend. Thanks anyways," she said as she walked away.

 _Now where could he be. I thought Kopa was just bluffing. Oh, well,_ Nyota thought to herself. She looked around the savannah. Everything was completely still. She decided to listen carefully and pay attention to even the slightest sound, or movement. She remembered from her training a week and two days ago. She focused. She heard whispers in the wind, and chatters among the grass. She then heard someone scoot a little. Then, she saw a leaf fall from a tree.

Nyota decided to go in that direction. She carefully climbed up the tree, trying not to make a sound. When she was half way up, she found Kopa sleeping on a tree branch. She laughed silently to herself, and crept up to him. "KOPA!" she yelled.

Kopa woke with a start and fell of the tree branch. "Ahhh! Ow!"

Nyota started to crack up with laughter. "You should've seen your face! You were like 'ahh' and then you fell! Hahahaha."

Kopa rolled his eyes, but was smiling. "Yeah, yeah. You found me. It's my turn then." He closed his eyes and started to count. "One...two...three...four…."

Nyota ran in the opposite direction, near the Outlands. "Come on," she said as she looked for a hiding place. She finally found a hollow log that connected the Pridelands to the Outlands, but she didn't know that. "Perfect," she whispered. She climbed into the log. Luckily, she fit in it. Little did she know that the log had been burned during the fire in the battle with Scar. It couldn't support her weight.

After thirty seconds, the wood collapsed underneath her, and she fell into the small gorge beneath her. She accidently fell on an Outsider cub, and they went sprawling. "Sorry-" She noticed that the cub's eyes were as green as her mother's. It scared her a bit, but his weren't as intense.

 _Grrrr_ , the Outsider cub growled at her.

She snarled in response.

"Who are you, Pridelander."

Nyota gave him a confused look. She had forgotten that she was now a member of the Pridelands. "I'm not- who are .

"I'm Kovu. What's your name," he demanded.

"Nyota." She heard a low growl from somewhere. She looked around. Nothing living was around besides the two cubs. Maybe she just imagined it.

The Outsider cub seemed to recognise that name."Do you know anyone name Vitani?" Kovu asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"She was talking about you some time ago. She said you beat her in a fight. My sister was pretty mad."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that day. It was hard."

"What'd you do?! My big sis is very tough to beat."

"I threw sand in her eyes. It was the only way I could beat her, anyway."

"Can you show me?" Kovu asked excitedly.

Nyota gave him a mischievous smirk. In a flash, she threw threw sand in Kovu's eyes, jumped on him, and pinned him to the ground. Nyota gave him an innocent smile. "Like that."

Kovu pushed her off. "I didn't mean to do it on me! Though, that was pretty cool."

"Right? It was pretty funny," Nyota giggled.

Kovu frowned. He then gave her an evil smirk. "Soooo, like...THIS!" In the blink of an eye, he threw sand in her eyes and jumped at her. Nyota tried to blink it out quickly, and dodged the Outsider cub.

Kovu tried to stop himself from hitting a rock, but ended up rolling and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. When he opened them, his back was against the large rock and he was upside down. He groaned. "Ow," Kovu muttered.

Nyota walked up to him and cocked her head to the side. She laughed at the other cub. "Not exactly. I kinda saw that coming."

Kovu sat up. "Kinda?"

"Yeah. I could see it before you could actually move."

"Oh. Do you wanna play a game?"

Nyota nodded. "Sure. Why not. What game do you have in mind?"

"It's just a fighting game….kind of. Okay, so, in the beginning , we both have to fight. Whoever wins gets a head start in the challenge. We have to find the nearest bird nest. If we both spot it, we pretty much have to fight our way towards it. Sounds kinda boring, but it's really fun. Wanna start?"

"Sure-" Nyota was cut off by Kovu pouncing on her. She was surprised for a moment, but then threw him off. Nyota clawed at his face. She missed by a hair. Kovu got back at her when he clawed at her, and barely grazed her shoulder with his claws. Nyota winced, but shook it off as she pounced on him and bit his back.

The two cubs separated and growled at each other. Before either one could go at the other, an older lion jumped in front of Nyota and roared. Then a female jumped to Kovu's protection.

"Kopa," the cub whispered.

"Kopa. What are _you_ doing here," the familiar lioness growled.

"Vitani? I haven't seen you in a while!" Kopa said excitedly, completely ignoring the unwelcoming growl.

"You can't be here. Now leave before someone gets hurt." Vitani looked Nyota and smirked.

"Vitani...what…"

" _Leave_ ," she snapped. "Come on, Kovu. Before we get in as much trouble as Nuka's gonna be in."

Kopa looked like he wanted to go after her, but he changed his mind. "Let's go, Nyota."

As she started to walk, Nyota took one last look at Kovu and smiled at him.

He smiled back. "Bye," he mouthed.

"Bye," Nyota mouthed back and catched up to Kopa.

* * *

"Was Vitani the cub you spoke of?" Nyota asked Kopa.

"Yeah. Why'd you have to go to the Outlands? Everyone's banned from going there."

"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"You are _so_ lucky my dad didn't catch us going there. You have no idea how mad he would've gotten if he found out."

"Find out about what?" Simba asked from behind them.

Kopa jumped up in surprise. "Errr….it's a surprise?"

"And why would I be mad eactly?" he raised a curious eyebrow.

"Because…."

"We worked too hard on it. And you are a very selfless person. The surprise is for you. We didn't finish, though," Nyota gave him an innocent smile.

"Alright. When will it be finidhed?" Simba asked.

"Two days!" Kopa said.

"Wha-ow! Yeah. _Two days_." Nyota gave him a look that said: _How are we gonna come up with something big in two days?!_

"Okay, then. I'll be looking to it. Let's go eat dinner." He walked towards the den where the lionesses had put their deceased prey.

"What _is_ the surprise?" Nyota whispered to Kopa.

"Ummm. Oh! I have an idea. Tomorrow, look for as many snails as you can find. Ask Timon and Pumbaa for help, too."

"Snails? Are you sure?"

"Just trust me," Kopa said.

"Okay. I just hope you know what you're doing." The two lions then walked into the den to eat a delicious meal.

* * *

 **Can anyone guess what the surprise is? First one to guess can have a pick on what happens in a future chapter! I will PM you if you got it first! :) Goodluck. But it's pretty obvious. And the poem in the story is called "Evening Star" by Edgar Allen Poe.**


	5. Chapter V

**Hi! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. R,R, & R.**

* * *

 **Chapter V**

"How many have you found so far?" Kopa asked two days later.

"Fifty snails. You?"Nyota said.

"Sixty-two."

"We found seventy-five!" Pumbaa said.

"Great. That makes...ummm."

"One hundred-eighty seven snails, Kopa," Timon said.

"Oh. Thanks. Two hundred-forty eight more to go," he sighed. "After that, we need to set up the booths and all that stuff."

"Kopa, we've been doing this all afternoon. Can we take a break. _Please_?" Nyota said, exhausted.

"Fine. Would've taken less time if Timon let us take the snails from that paradise place he and Pumbaa live in."

"Hey! They're our property! What would we do if they were all gone?" Timon said.

"We only need four hundred- thirty five snails."

"Exactly my point! That's too much, kid. I'm gonna take my break now."

Everyone went to the water hole to take a refreshing drink. As Nyota lowered her head to take a drink, she heard rustling in the tall, dry grass. "Hey, I'll be right back."

"Okay. Just don't go near the Outlands again. I don't want to get in trouble," Kopa said.

"I won't. Don't worry." She bounded off into the grass to see where the noise was coming from. She then smelled a familiar scent…..

"SURPRISE!" Nyota was lying on the ground, flat on her back. When she looked up, her sapphire eyes met emerald green ones.

"Kovu! You really did surprise me this time….surprisingly. What are you _doing_ here? I thought Outsiders were banished from the Pridelands."

"And I thought Pridelanders were banned from the Outlands," he said with a bit of sarcasm.

Nyota pushed him off. "Okay. But, seriously, what _are_ you doing here. And, how did you get out of the Outlands without any of the Outsiders spotting you?"

"First: I'm here because I'm bored and there's really not much to do there but fight over a scrap of meat. So, I was wondering if we could play some games, you know, or something else. Second: Everyone was pretty much fighting over a scrap of meat, and it got pretty boring. Sooo, yeah."

"Haha. Okay. We can play tag."

Kovu raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever playing that

game."

"It's easy. I'm 'It'. So you run. If I tag you, you're 'It' and try to tag me. It repeats."

"Oh, okay-"

"Tag! You're it!." She laughed and ran away from Kovu.

"H-hey! Get back here!" he laughed and ran after her.

"You'll never catch me, Kovu!"

"Nyota! That wasn't fair!"

"There's no such thing as fair!" She spotted a tree, and quickly climbed it.

"Wha- get down! How am I supposed to catch you now?!"

Nyota lay against a tree branch and looked down at Kovu. She smirked. "Climb." she said as if it were that simple.

Kovu looked at the tree, very unsure. "I don't know…."

"Aww. Are you scared?"

"Scared? Puh, I'll show you 'scared',"Kovu laughed. Only hiding a little bit of his being nervous. Kovu extended his claws and started to climb the tree.

When he finally reached Nyota's tree branch, she smiled as he made his way towards. She stood up and jumped off, making the branch shake.

"Ahh!" Kovu grabbed on to the branch tightly as it shook.

Nyota laughed. "Yeah. You sure showed me 'scared'."

She bounded off again, leaving Kovu stuck on the tree branch. "Hey! Wait up!"

Nyota turned around. "Okay. But only because you're new to this game and you really suck at it!" she called to him.

Kovu wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at her. "Okay. Slowly and carefully," he whispered to himself.

"Hurry up, Kovu!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh." He climbed down as quickly as possible.

"'Bout time, Slowpoke."

"Slowpoke?Hehe." He grinned devilishly,pounced on her, and pinned her to the ground. "You should've been faster, Nyota."

He brought his face closer to hers. "You're it," he whispered and ran from her.

Nyota laughed and ran after him. "Hey! Get back here, Kovu!"

"Hahahahaha. You're gonna have to be quicker than that!"

"You're not getting away!"

"I kinda already am, Nyota!" Kovu called back. "Ahhh!" He stopped dead in his tracks. Kovu slowly backed away from the frightening creature.

"Kovu, what's wrong?" Nyota said as she ran up beside him. She looked at the small creature Kovu seemed so afraid of. "Oh. You're afraid of mice?" Nyota forced back a laugh, but couldn't help smiling.

Kovu looked at the ground, embarrassed. "Maybe."

The grey mouse scurried away in search for food. "If it helps you feel better, I'm a little afraid of the dark."

Kovu stared at her, deciding whether to believe her or not. "Seriously?"

Nyota nodded. "Seriously." She looked at the setting of the sun. "Darn it! I'm suppose to be helping Kopa. Our break ended thirty minutes ago! I have to go, Kovu. I'll see you when I see you. Bye!"

"Oh, okay. Bye." Kovu was a little upset, but he went back to the Outlands anyway.

* * *

"So, where's the surprise ?" Simba asked his son.

"Near the water hole. You're gonna like it."

When they arrived, Timon, Pumbaa, and Nyota were already there. "Simba. I want a rematch. But this time, I'll have Pumbaa by my side."

"A snail slurping contest? Alright. I'm gonna beat both of you at this." Simba gave them a smirk that made Timon and Pumbaa have second thoughts.

~0~

"Come on dad! You can do it!" Kopa cheered.

Simba grabbed four more snails in his paws, and slurped them all at the same time.

"Come on Pumbaa. You can do it buddy," Timon said. He already looked like an oversized meerkat.

"I don't think I can do it, Timon. I'm too tired to finish."

"That makes me the champion….again!" Simba said a little too excitedly, then immediately regretted it. "I think I'm gonna- I'll be right back." Simba ran off somewhere to lose the snails.

"Soo….why a snail slurping contest?" Nyota asked Kopa.

"Because my dad did them every once in awhile with Timon. Timon really wanted a final rematch so why not? It was funny

though."

"It kinda was. There faces were hilarious!"

"Yeah! I thought they were gonna blow!" Kopa broke into laughter.

"Haha. Yea-" a loud roar cut Nyota off. Another one made Kopa stop laughing.

The two lions looked at each other with wide eyes, then ran to where the roaring was coming from. They saw Simba and an Outsider female facing each other. Three Pridelander lionesses, Nyota's mother among them, Timon, and Pumbaa stood behind the king.

"Zira," Simba snarled.

"Simba," Zira replied.

"Zira," the queen said distastefully.

"Nala," Zira made a face.

"Timon. Pumbaa. Great. Now that we all know each other: GET OUT OF OUR PRIDELANDS!" Timon said.

" _Your_ Pridelands?" the Outsider laughed.

"What are you doing here, Zira? You know the penalties for entering the Pridelands," Simba said.

"But the child does _not_ ," Zira snapped.

Nyota looked over to the cub standing behind Zira. "Kovu," she said not quietly enough.

Simba looked behind him and down at her. "You know this cub?"

"I-I only met him when I accidently fell into the Outlands while playing a game. He wasn't that bad."

"So you went to the Outlands without permission and almost got yourself killed?"

"Well, yes and no. I didn't almost get myself killed."

"It wasn't her fault dad," Kopa spoke up, "I should've told her where the Outlands met the Pridelands. But I found her and got her out of there…."

"So you went to the Outlands?"

"Eerrr…."

"Oh, Simba. It was only an accident. Be grateful that they didn't get hurt….or worse," Zira said.

Simba turned to her and growled. "You need to keep an eye on your kid."

"Haven't you met my son, Kovu? He was handpicked by Scar as his new heir. He was the last born, just like Nyota here, before Scar's reign ended."

Simba looked at the frightened cub and growled. "Take him and get out. While I still allow it."

Zira smirked. "Alright. But just know that this isn't over." She picked up her son in her mouth and walked to the Outlands.

* * *

The walk to Pride Rock was short and silent. Half way there, Simba spoke to Kopa and Nyota. "You know how dangerous that trip to the Outlands was? You put both your lives at risk. And Kopa, you're the oldest, you should've kept an eye on her."

"I was! Kind of," Kopa said.

"It wasn't his fault. I should've stayed closer or ask about the location of the Outlands." Nyota's ears lowered as she got nervous. "Plus, Kovu wasn't a bad kid. I actually had a lot of fun playing with him."

"Okay. Kopa, we will discuss your punishment at home. Nyota, that will be up to you and your mother." Simba looked behind Nyota to see her mother walk up to them.

"Don't worry Simba. Nyota and I will talk about it. For now, we go eat dinner," Aina smiled at her daughter, but her eyes had a worried look in them. "Come on."

~0~

"So, what will be my punishment?" Nyota asked after dinner nervously.

"Well, when I got in trouble, my mother would ground me. Or I would have to help carry the kills for a week. It's up to you. Which of the two, Nyota?" Aina asked.

"Umm. What exactly do you do when you get grounded?"

"Well, you can't play any fun games or leave home for a day or longer."

"Oh. I'll take being grounded for a day."

"Okay," her mother simply said.

"...okay? Is that all. No hitting, or yelling harsh things?" Nyota said in a quiet voice.

Aina's eyes widened. "What?! No, no. Great Kings, what did that lioness do to you. No, sweetie. That's it. Tomorrow, you'll just stay here all day without playing. That's all. Nothing else."

Nyota smiled. "Oh, okay. I'm fine with that." She yawned.

"We've all had a long day. Let's get some sleep." Aina picked her daughter up by her scruff and brought her over to a spot in the den. she set her down and Aina lied down. Nyota climbed into her mother's paws and started to fall asleep. Aina licked her cub's head. "Goodnight, Nyota."

"Goodnight, mom," Nyota said half asleep.


	6. Chapter VI

***sniff sniff* They grew up too fast. Just five chapters ago, Nyota was making new friends. Now she's all grown up. Please R, R, & R (Read, relax, and review). **

* * *

**Chapter VI (Four Years Later)**

Today was Kiara's first hunt. Nyota had never seen her friend so excited. Even though it wasn't her first hunt alone, Nyota still woke up early. "Hey, Nyota. I'm surprised you're up early," Kiara said.

"Not everyone can sleep as long as we want, Princess Kiara. Soon to be queen," Nyota teased. Kiara didn't want to be queen, but it was still funny to tease her about it.

Kiara stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Princesses don't really sleep as long as they want, ya know. We still have to do stuff. Like train for hunting."

" Yeah, when do you ever train? Speaking of hunting, how excited are you?"

"As happy as a meerkat and warthog during an all-you-can-eat grub buffet," she said excitedly.

Nyota laughed a bit. "Well, I better go outside with the others and wait for you and your parents to make an entrance. Good Luck." She walked out of the den, down Pride Rock, and took her place in between Gem and Walinzi, another lioness friend.

The lionesses were lined up into two rows. Simba had been the first royal member to walk out. The two rows were lined from eldest to youngest. Sarabi and Sarafina were the first two on Simba's left side. On the right were Crystal, Walinzi, Nyota, Gem and three other lionesses.

After Simba, Nala walked out of the den and sat next to her mate. They started to whisper to each other. Simba looked pretty nervous. Just then, Kiara walked out.

"Today's your big day!" Sarabi whispered.

"My, how you've grown," Sarafina said with a smile.

"Goodluck," Nyota said with a smile.

"Thanks," Kiara mouthed.

~0~

"Wait. So, you have to go to the Western leopard territory and meet a stranger who's arranged to be your mate? I am glad I'm not you." Nyota laughed a bit.

"Yeah. But, one of my friends from there told me he's cute and very nice," Anga replied. "How about you two? There any lions in the Pridelands you and Gem gave your eyes on?"

Gem smiled. "Well, one. His name is Tunaomba. We've had a couple of conversations, and he seems to like me."

Nyota rolled her eyes. "Just because you always seem to bump into him somehow, doesn't mean you were necessarily having a conversation."

The two lionesses and leopard were sitting under the cool shade of the trees talking, and waiting for Kiara to come back. Anga smirked. "Oh, yeah? Do _you_ have your eye on a certain lion, Nyota?"

"Well. Not really." Nyota looked up at the sky and looked at the position of the sun. "Great Kings, it's getting pretty late. Kiara should be back any second now."

"Relax. She may not be the _best_ hunter, but I think that she would be able get home j-"

"Hold on," Gem said. "What's that smell…."

"Fire." Nyota ran in the direction of the smoke. Anga and Gem followed.

~0~

Zazu flew up ahead of the female cats. Nyota hoped Zazu got to Kiara in time. "We need to follow Zazu!" She called to Gem and Anga. They both nodded, understanding.

They got closer to where Kiara was, dodging burned trees. "Nyota! Look!" Anga said minutes later.

Nyota looked up to see Zazu flying back to Pride Rock muttering, "Must get help. Must tell Simba."

"Hurry up!" She yelled and sped up. When they reached Kiara, they found her arguing with an Outsider male.

"I _think_ I'm the one that just saved your life," he said.

"I had it all under control," Kiara snapped.

"It didn't look like that from where I'm standing."

"Then move downwind!" She turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction, but the Outsider jumped in front of her and blocked her path. She frowned and tried going the other way.

Nyota growled, jumped in front of the male, and roared at him. He roared back. "Leave her alone," she snapped.

"Oh, yeah? And what are you gonna do?"

"I can do many things, Outsider. Now, I don't know what Kiara was thinking, but I think it's pretty fair if you let her go wherever she wants to go."

The Outsider laughed a bit. "There's no such thing as fair. Remember?"

Nyota raised an eyebrow. "Wha- Kovu?"

Kovu smirked. "Yeah," he said as if he were saying 'duh'.

"Wait. You two know each other?" Kiara asked.

"Um, yeah. We met when we were cubs. After our parents found out that we met each other and wouldn't let us see each other, we met in private and played some games. But, after Kopa…," she didn't need to say anything else.

Just then, Simba jumped out from nowhere and roared aggressively at Kovu, who roared back. "What are you doing here, Outsider? You know the penalties for entering the Pridelands."

"Father, he saved my life," Kiara said.

"Did he now? Why?" Simba growled at Kovu.

Kovu sat up straight and put on a serious face, which Nyota found kind of funny, and replied, "I humbly ask to join your pride."

"No. You were banished with the other Outsiders."

"I have left the Outsiders. I am a rogue."

"King Simba, if I may. He just saved your daughter's life, my best friend. You might as well judge him now for who he is, or are you really going to blame him for a crime he did not commit?" Nyota said as she walked up to the king.

"Why are you defending him, Nyota? He is one of those traitors."

"Kovu isn't that bad-"

"Kovu? So, that's why-"

Zazu cleared his throat. "Sire, royal protocol demands all debts must be paid. Though in this case you might want to make an acception."

Simba sighed. "My father's laws shall remain. But if you try anything that could hurt anyone in my pride, you will be exiled. Understand?"

Kovu grinned. "I won't try anything like that, your majesty."

Nyota raised an eyebrow at Kovu's comment. _So he says he won't_ try _anything like that. What happened to him these past couple of years?_ "Don't worry, King Simba. I can keep an eye on Kovu, if that's alright with you."

Simba thought about him for a moment. "I know that you know this lion well, but I trust that you will be honest. I'll let you keep an eye on him, kind of like an escort."

"We should all head back," Nala suggested, "it's getting kind of dark."

Simba nodded. "Let's go."

~0~

The trip back to Pride Rock was silent. Simba expected Kovu to betray them at any second, but he never did. Simba watched as the lionesses walked inside the den, Kovu getting ready to follow them inside. Simba immediately jumped in front of Kovu and growled at him. Kovu backed up quickly and stared at Simba in disbelief.

He walked over to a large rock and lay down next to it, the shadows covering him like a blanket. Kiara and Nyota were the last lionesses to reach the top. They walked over to Kovu.

"Thank you for saving my life," Kiara said.

Kovu sat up and stared at her. "Honestly, what kind of hunter are you? Almost got yourself killed today. Didn't anybody train you?"

"Well, not really-"

"Kovu, if you really are that great of an expert at hunting, why don't you show us tomorrow?" Nyota said with a smirk.

Kovu grinned. "Gladly."

"Kiara!" Simba called from the den.

"Coming!" She looked back at Kovu, "we start at dawn." She then walked into the den, leaving Kovu and Nyota alone.

"Are you really that great of a hunter, Kovu?" Nyota asked.

"Yeah. Are you," he asked a bit mockingly.

Nyota gave him a sly grin, and before he could even blink, she pounced on Kovu, knocking the air out of him. "Yeah," she said, copying his voice the way he had said it.

Kovu pushed her off gently. "Have you offered to train the princess at all?"

"Yeah. Many times, but she turns the offers down. She's a bit of a lousy hunter, as you can see."

"A bit? I am so glad you came up with that idea. I just can't stand watching terrible hunters hunt."

"Hey! Be nice. Besides, you weren't the greatest hunter when you were a cub. I had to teach you a few tricks."

"I taught you some tricks,'' Kovu said.

"Yeah. Like one! I've got to go. It was nice seeing you again, Kovu."

"You too, Nyota."

* * *

 **Please don't hate me for skipping four years ahead. Yes, that is four years. Remember, animals age differently than humans. Please review and tell me what you think Until next time, minions!**


	7. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

That night, Nyota dreamt about Kopa's death. They had been playing a game with Vitani, since Kovu was being trained by one of the lionesses from the Outlands. The game was fun and harmless. Well, one of the games was Hide 'n' Seek Tag. Both Vitani and Nyota were searching for Kopa when, when they heard a roar, and Kopa screaming in pain. Both of the lionesses went to check on Kopa. When they found him, it was too late. The lionesses and King Simba surrounded Kopa. Nala, Simba, and Kiara were crying. Vitani and Nyota squeezed through and saw what had happened. The young prince lied on the ground very still, bleeding with harsh claw marks all over his body. Simba didn't notice the young Outsider. Perhaps he did, but knew she cared for Kopa and didn't want to yell at the moment.

Nyota's dream shifted. She was now in the Outlands surrounded by fire. She wasn't a cub anymore. She was fighting off a whole bunch of Outsiders, but she knew they would just keep coming, and sooner or later, she would have to give up. "It's your fault Kopa is dead! You brought me to him and I got my revenge! Oh, the poor thing." Nyota looked around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"I-I didn't mean to. You tricked me! I was a cub!"

"You were very vulnarable. And, weak. Helpless. Naive. Just like he was. Except, he's dead. It won't be as easy to kill you, but it'll be ten times as fun," the lionesses voice got closer as the Outsiders kept attacking.

"Shut up!" she knew exactly who this lioness was. "I know you're still alive. I will hunt you down. And when I find you, _no one_ is going to stop me from killing you!" The Outsiders stopped attacking. They all vanished into the flames. Everything was quiet, except for the roaring fire.

Then, the familiar lioness jumped at her and pinned her to the ground. "Will you, now?" She laughed cruelly and slashed at her?

* * *

"Nyota! Wake up!" Kiara said as she nudged her with her paw.

Nyota woke up gasping. "What?"

"We're gonna be late!" Kiara replied as she ran out of the den.

"For what exactly?" Nyota asked as she followed her friend.

Kiara stopped, turned around, and stared at her. "Training with Kovu. Ring a bell?"

"Oh. Sorry. I kinda forgot about that."

"You nervous?"

"Nervous? Please. I'm the one that _taught_ Kovu some of his hunting skills. He probably learned the rest in the Outlands."

"Ah. Look! There he is," Kiara whispered.

Nyota turned her head to the direction Kiara was looking. She spotted Kovu next to a large rock getting ready to pounce on whatever prey was at the water hole. Kiara came up with a plan to try and surprise Kovu.

He must've been way too focused, because he hadn't heard Kiara climb on the rock. Or maybe he did, because his ears perked up. "Surprise! I scared you, huh?"

"Sure did," he said sarcastically, but he sounded a bit disappointed. Lost his prey, maybe. "Let's go get Nyot-AH!"

Nyota laughed as she pounced on him. "You should've paid more attention, Kovu. I'm disappointed. I thought you were the best hunter in the _world_ ," she shook her head and gave a dramatic sigh.

Kovu gasped playfully. "I am, actually! I was just trying to make you rookies feel better about yourselfs. Give you an idea on how it feels to beat your prey or opponent."

Nyota looked at Kiara and shook her head. "Sure, Kovu. Now, let's see how good of a hunter you really are."

~0~

Kovu lay on the green savannah grass, bored. He heard a lioness shuffling through the grass. He rolled his eyes and started to count. "One...two...three." he ducked his head as Kiara leaped over him.

"Ahhh!" Kovu walked over to her and smirked. She laughed nervously. "You heard me. Didn't you."

Kovu sniffed. "Only…..a lot. You're breathing too hard. Feel the ground beneath you so it doesn't shift."

Kovu extended his claws and clawed the ground. Kiara looked and did the same thing. Just then, Kovu heard more shuffling in the grass. _Nyota,_ he thought. _She thinks she's that good?_ "Watch the master," he whispered to Kiara. He lowered to the ground, ready to pounce where Nyota _was_. He jumped with a roar. "Aha!" No one was there. Kovu raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the-"

"Ha! Gotcha!" Nyota pounced on Kovu and pinned him to the ground…...again.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Aww. Little Kovu is mad he got tricked," she said in a mocking voice.

"Ah, no. Pft. What are you talking about?"

Kiara walked up to them. "You still haven't shown me anything, Kovu." She sounded a bit annoyed.

Kovu noticed that Nyota was still pinning him to the ground and wasn't paying attention. He smirked, then with lightning speed, he knocked Nyota down and pinned _her_ to the ground. Her shocked expression made Kovu laugh. "Ha! Gotcha!"

Kiara laughed. "Yeah. 'Bout time you did. Can we train for battle?"

Nyota pushed Kovu off of her. They looked at each other and seemed to have a silent argument about that. They had a silent agreement. Nyota sighed. "We can _show_ you what to do, just not let you fight. Not just yet. Plus, we have to run it by your father. He still doesn't completely trust Kovu. So, it's gonna take some time for him to agree to actually let you fight against one of us. Sound okay?"

Kiara thought about it for a second. "Okay, fine. So, what exactly do you fight?"

"Well, I'm a Pridelander, Kovu's an Outsider, so, you'll just have to watch what I do, and what he does. You know the difference between offense and defense, correct?" Nyota said.

"Yeah. I think," Kiara replied.

"Great. Let's get started."

~0~

Kovu and Nyota circled each other and growled as if they were getting into a real fight. Which this kind of was. Kovu made the first move by roaring and jumping at Nyota. He slashed at her with his claws, but only nicked her right front leg since she dodged him. Nyota snarled at him. She pounced on him and bit his shoulder, but not to the point where it would start to bleed. Kovu threw her off and growled. Kiara sat there, taking mental notes, watching in amazement. She'd never seen two lions actually fight physically. Well, maybe when she watched some of the lionesses train, but that was different.

Nyota and Kovu ran towards each other and started to claw at one another. Nyota pawed Kovu in the face and knocked him down. She remembered Kikatili's voice when she was fighting against Vitani: " _Finish the job...life isn't fair!_ "

That thought caught her off track. Kovu noticed this, and pounced on her. He snarled and smirked. "Gotcha again."

Nyota blinked twice. "Yeah. Y-you did." She smiled.

Kovu got off of her and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Are you okay? You seemed kinda off this morning," Kiara said.

"I'm fine. I just wasn't feeling that well, that's all. Anyway, what did you learn?" Nyota asked.

"Oh. Well, one thing is not to let your guard down or to get distracted. I guess? And that someone bigger than you may not always be stronger."

Kovu nodded. "I guess that's good. It's getting kind of late. What do you guys want to do?"

"Umm. We can look at the stars after the sun sets?" Kiara suggested.

"Oh, yeah! Kopa and I used to do this all the time...okay we can do that. What do you think, Kovu?" Nyota said.

"Yeah. Sounds great. Let's do that!" Kovu smiled.

* * *

 **That was that chapter. I hope you guys really enjoyed it. I know it got kind of repetitive, but they're lions. They fight a lot. It's not always because they're angry, maybe just to play around. Please review! Until next time! ;)**


	8. Chapter VIII

**So, of course this can't be The Lion King without music or songs. These songs aren't from the Lion King. Anyway, the song in this chapter is called Mind Over Matter (Acoustic) by PVRIS. You can listen to it whenever it comes in the story. Whatever is in brackets I had changed because they are lions, not humans, so I doubt they know what hands are. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter VIII**

"Look! That one looks like a baby rabbit. See the fluffy tail?" Kiara said as she pointed up to the star filled sky.

"Haha. Yeah. Look. That one looks like two lions ready to kill each other for a scrap of meat," Kovu said. Kiara was silent for a moment. "What do you see, Nyota?" Kovu asked.

Nyota searched the night sky. She used to see many things in the sky when she was younger. "Well, so far, I see nothing…. actually, I see two very identical lions ready to pounce on each other. And another one sitting alone on the right, and another one alone on the left. They don't look too happy, either."

"Oh. My father said that… all the Great Kings of the past are up there among the stars," Kiara said.

"Do you think Scar's up there?" Kovu whispered to them. The lionesses didn't answer. Kovu got up and sighed. "He wasn't my father, but he's still part of me."

"And is that part good or bad?" Nyota asked as she walked up to him, Kiara at her side.

Kovu hesitated before he answered. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"I remember Nyota used to wonder if Scar was up there, too," Kiara said.

If lions could blush, Nyota would've done so. She just laughed a bit instead. "Well, he _was_ a king. Maybe not 'great' as in _good_ ,but maybe because he was the only lion to befriend the hyenas? But, of course there must've been some good in him, too. Just like I see in you, Kovu." She nuzzled him gently.

Kovu smiled. "Thanks, but I….nevermind."

"I think I should be heading home. My dad might get worried. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Kiara said with a smile.

"Okay. Don't forget to ask your dad about the thing tomorrow," Nyota said.

"Okay. Thanks. Bye, Kovu."

"See you tomorrow, Kiara," Kovu replied.

Nyota waited until Kiara was out of hearing range. She looked at Kovu. "So, what's wrong. You were going to say something, then changed your mind."

"Nothing, I just….Well, growing up in the Outlands isn't always easy. You're trained to fight and kill. You learn that mercy and...love are weakness, and that showing no emotion is strength. Or something like that and…"

"You're afraid of becoming the killer you were trained to be. I understand," Nyota said. And the truth was, she did understand. That's what Kikatili always wanted her to be: a merciless killer.

Kovu nodded. "Pretty much." He wasn't lying, he just didn't tell her the whole truth. About his plan to get close to Kiara in order to get closer to Simba, so his mother could have her revenge. The only problem was that he couldn't get very close with Kiara. Well, he could, but he didn't want to. "Out of both my siblings, I'm the only one that has a problem with killing. I don't show it in front of my mother, otherwise my training would've been much more...intense than what it already was."

Nyota sighed. "Kovu, why do I get this feeling that you're not telling me everything you're supposed to? You can trust me. You know that."

"I...nevermind. It's just weird stuff in my head."

Nyota shook her head and started to sing.

" _You were spoiled rotten and turned stale like all your plans,  
My tongue's acquired tolerance for tastes I couldn't stand.  
You've been stuck in a rut and a wasteland, drowned in swamps below your feet._

 _So just trust me, you'll be just fine,  
I need your trust just for tonight.  
This is not a place in my head,  
Reach out your [_paw _] and tell me just what you feel.  
This is not just all in your head,  
Mind over matter makes these things feel so real." _She walked over to Kovu and looked him in his eyes. __

" _I can see the doubt in your eyes,  
You say there's no such thing as better things in life.  
Well, I must confess this is all too new for me,  
A whole new world, a whole new world to see._

 _Trust me, you'll be just fine,  
I need your trust just for tonight.  
This is not a place in my head,  
Reach out your [_paw _] and tell me just what you feel.  
This is not just all in your head,  
Mind over matter makes these things feel so real._

 _Keep an open mind, it brings open hearts and open eyes.  
You walk around with your [_paws _] out, and I've never seen anyone so blind."_ Nyota nuzzled him. __

" _This is not a place in my head,  
Reach out your [_paw _] and tell me just what you feel.  
This is not just all in your head,  
Mind over matter makes these things feel so real._

 _This is not a place in my head,  
Reach out your [_paw _] and tell me just what you feel.  
This is not just all in your head,  
Mind over matter makes these things feel so real."_

"Kovu, everything will be fine if you just trust me. What's wrong? What aren't you telling me?" Nyota asked.

Kovu looked into her galaxy eyes. He knew he could trust her, he just didn't want to hurt her. "I- Zira has this...this plan about her revenge for...Simba. I was supposed to earn his trust and bring him somewhere so she could. But, I really don't want to. I swear, Nyota, I would never hurt Simba, or Kiara, or you, or anyone else. I- I'm so sorry."

Nyota took a shaky breath and let it all sink in. He was supposed to do these terrible things, but didn't. "Why? Why didn't you do it yet, Kovu? Simba probably trusts you already. I want to know why you didn't betray him yet. I- I'm not angry with you. I just need to know."

At first, Kovu thought she was going to yell at him and tell him to get out and never come back, but she was so calm. Although, Kovu could tell she was working things out in her head. "I…. I didn't do it because….I….because of you. You've seen the good in me ever since we were cubs. My mother tried to beat all of that down. She thinks she has, but she hasn't. Whenever I showed mercy in training, she would always tell me those things about weakness and strength, but you would always pop into my mind and I wouldn't let the good fade away."

Nyota was silent for a moment. Kovu didn't hurt Simba because she was there. What if she wasn't there at the time? "Kovu, be very honest with me. If I wasn't here all the time after you saved Kira, would you still stick with you mother's plan?"

"No, I wouldn't. You would always be in my head whenever you would be gone."

The lioness sighed with relief. Kovu wasn't lying, which was a good thing. She walked over to him and nuzzled his cheek. "We should go. We've all had a long day."

"Um. Okay. That would be great." Kovu smiled and was glad Nyota wasn't angry at him.

They walked back in silence. They were thinking about their conversation. When they reached Pride Rock, Kovu went to his spot next to the large, shadowy rock. " Goodnight, Nyota."

She smiled. " 'Night, Kovu." She walked into the den and passed Simba as he walked out.

He went to talk to Kovu. "You know, iyt's pretty chilly tonight. Why don't you come inside? It's a lot warmer," Simba invited the Outsider.

Kovu smiled. "Thanks." As he followed Simba inside, he heard rustling in the tall, dry grass. He look down from Pride Rock, but saw nothing.

* * *

 **That** **was this chapter! I hope you liked it. Please review. And yes, the name of the band is PVRIS, but it's pronounced 'Paris'. Until next time! :)**


	9. Chapter IX

**So this chapter is basically about Kovu and Nyota building up their relationship. I had help from my wonderful friend DisneyAddictGirl. She's an AMAZING author! Please enjoy this chapter !**

* * *

 **Chapter IX**

"No-ah!" Nyota laughed as Kovu pounced on her and they both went rolling down a hill, laughing and yelling along the way.

"Gotcha!" Kovu said and smirked when he pinned her to the ground. He laughed at his accomplishment.

"Funny," Nyota said sarcastically and pushed him off. "You know, sometimes I swear you got superpowers over night."

"Ha. Maybe I did. Or, you, I don't know, got….weaker." Kovu said mockingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you seem to have gotten slower, lost some strength, not as-AHHH! Okay, okay! I'm joking! I'm joking! AHhahaha!"Kovu said nervously then started to play fight with her.

When they took a rest moment, Nyota seemed to ponder a bit. She then laughed, startling Kovu. "Wow. You're right, Kovu. A hit like that should've knocked you out."

Her friend stopped laughing. "Seriously? You were gonna do that?" the bewildered look on his face only made her laugh more.

"I'm joking. Besides, if I really did want to knock you out, it definitely would've happened."

"Um…."

"Kidding, geez. The look on your face was truly hilarious," Nyota said, chuckling despite the annoyed look on Kovu's face.

"Haha. It didn't knock me out, thankfully. But, it did hurt….just a bit," Kovu said.

"Sorry," Nyota said.

"It's fine," Kovu began walking forward, "I'm gonna go for a walk. Come with me?" he asked her, glancing back behind his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

~0~

 **(With Simba and Nala)**

King Simba watched over the Pridelands, while sitting at Pride Rock, before the sun would set. He spotted Kovu and Nyota play fighting from afar.

He muttered something under his breath before Nala walked up to him. "What's wrong, Simba?" She asked looking over his face.

"Why would you think something's wrong? I could be very happy right now."

"I can tell by the look on your face and the way you're sitting. Now, what is the matter?"

Simba sighed. "I don't know. It's just that…. after Aina's death a year ago, I feel like it's my responsibility to protect Nyota the way I protect our daughter from most things. I mean, she was like another sister to Kopa and Kiara. Now I'm-"

"You're regretting letting her watch Kovu?"

"Exactly."

"Simba, you _agreed_ to this because you know Nyota is your most trusted huntress. You now have some trust in Kovu now. Enough trust to let him hunt with the others. I don't see what the problem is," Nala said.

"Something just doesn't feel right. I guess," the king admitted.

"Maybe you should _actually_ give Kovu a chance before you start losing your trust in him. Maybe he isn't so bad, and maybe he's falling for Nyota. But, you don't like that because you think that just _maybe,_ she is too falling for him. They just don't know it yet."

"How can you tell they are?" Simba said.

"I can see it in the way they look at each other. See?" She nodded her head a bit towards the young adults.

Simba looked over and realized Nala was right. He saw the look in Kovu's eyes. They seemed to say something like ' _I know I'm falling for her, but I'm really not entirely sure yet. But, I know I'll protect her no matter what.'_ Yes. It seemed as if they were saying all of that.

"Great Kings, Nala. How do you do it? You're magical." Simba praised his queen. She laughed, and they both watched Nyota and Kovu fight.

After a while, Nala broke the silence. "Give it some thought. It might be the second best thing that'll ever happen in Nyota's life." Nala nuzzled his cheek and walked back into the den.

Simba remembered that Nyota used to be such a naive cub. But, the moment Kopa died, she changed. She became more guarded with her trust. It took her a while to help Crystal and Walinzi, two of the oldest of the younger lionesses, choose who had what position during hunting sometimes. Or, she would hunt on her own.

"Something still doesn't feel right," he muttered to himself.

~0~

 **(Back to Kovu & Nyota)**

"I know! It was so awesome! That hippo practically split that crocodile in half!" Kovu said excitedly.

"Yeah. Then _you_ got caught in the middle and I had to fish you out of there," Nyota laughed at the memory.

"Hey! I just wanted a closer look. It's not as bad as what happened to you and that water buffalo. You definitely needed my help. It was very unpleasant." They both shuddered at the memory.

"Don't remind me," Nyota said, "it took me days to wash the smell out."

"Me, too. Nuka wouldn't stop teasing me about it. He was happy he wasn't the only one with smell problems at the time. Ugh. Anyways, I haven't seen your mom in a while. Is she visiting another member in the other half of this Pride?" Kovu asked.

Nyota slowed down a bit. "No, um, she's…. up with the small stars now. She's no longer with us."

"Oh.I probably shouldn't have asked," Kovu said softly.

"It's okay." She then changed the subject, "So, uh, are things any better in the Outlands. I mean, besides….ya know."

"Well, um, since we need more….members, my mother is trying to find me a mate. It's down to Hatari and a lioness with a black eye that I've never talked to before. It might end up being Hatari. She has an eye out for me, and my mother seems to like her a lot. It's very….weird for me."

"Well, that's something. Sucks to be you." Nyota laughed with the slightest hint of bitterness that surprised her.

"I've asked her if I could pick my own mate, but she keeps saying no. Telling me that she knows exactly who I'd pick and that she wasn't gonna like the choice. I don't know what she means," Kovu said. "But, I know she'll definitely choose Hatari. Whenever Zira isn't around, she gets too close, but acts like she doesn't care about me and more about her job when she is. I mean, she isn't _that_ bad. Just not my type."

"That's….unfortunate. I guess," she began walking faster, not looking at Kovu as she spoke.

"You okay?"

Nyota smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Oh! This is the spot my mom and I used to watch the sunsets. She told me that most of the time, the best sunsets bring the best stars." She took a spot under an old acacia tree. She looked up at Kovu and gave him a tired smile. "Care to join me?"

"Gladly. The sunsets in the Outlands are pretty tedious. Not an exciting view. It'd be nice to see something much more colorful. Sure, I'll stay." He sat down about three feet away from her.

"Is it really like that out there? I haven't been to a place like that in years," Nyota said.

"Well, of course you haven't. You weren't allowed to visit the Outlands anymore."

Nyota immediately realized her mistake. She told herself she wasn't going to talk about her past. "I didn't mean to say that. Forget about it. Doesn't matter anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Kovu said with a confused look on his face.

"It's not important. Really."

"Uh, it kinda is if it's bothering you. What's wrong?"

She really couldn't lie to him, or ignore him. "Well,uh, when your mother and sister came to train me, it obviously wasn't in the Pridelands. I used to live in a bad part between the Outlands and here. It's called _Ardhi ya Kifo_. If you ask anyoneto draw a map of this kingdom, they'd draw the Pridelands, Outlands, The Great Dessert, Forgotten Oasis, etcetera. But they will not include that place." Nyota engraved the dirt with her claw, drew a map of the kingdom, and circled the small area she had lived in.

Kovu hadn't heard about half of these places. He was surprised Nyota knew _all_ of them. "So , what happened there?"

"I used to live with my biological mother before Simba and the others got me out of there. She wasn't the best mother in the world."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. Zira never paid much attention to us. She was all up in her revenge plan-"

"No. It's not that. Kikatili payed _plenty_ of attention. Mostly to what I did. Maybe a little too much attention. She just had a very harsh way of showing it," Nyota explained.

For the first time ever, Kovu noticed the light colored scars that marked her back. Barely noticeable, but they were definitely there. Kovu thought he had it bad as a cub, but she clearly has had it worse. He started to wish he hadn't asked any questions. That way the moment seem so tense.

He then looked up at the sky, and the subject changed. "Woah! The sky. It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's great, huh?" Nyota's eyes were glued to the sky. The colors made it seem like her eyes were changing colors, but the silver stars in her eyes stayed the same.

"More than great. I've never seen so many colors in the sky like that." It looked like someone had slashed the dome with different colors: yellow, orange, salmon, lavender, and different shades of red.

Kovu wanted to stay awake all night, but every second got darker and the heavier his eyes got. To his right, Nyota was knocked out, snoring softly. He stayed awake until the last star appeared in the sky, and he drifted off to sleep to the sound of the wind.


	10. Chapter X

**So, this is the first Point Of View chapter. I thought it would be great to hear the other characters' thoughts. I traveled all the way to the Africa in my head, turned into a lion-human person, and wrote whatever it was the characters wanted to say if they could write….I'm crazy. Deal with it. Love you guys! And, also, every story needs a fight of some sort. Even if it's 0.5 seconds long. And a bit of drama. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter X**

 **(Nyota's P.O.V.)**

" _Hey, mom. Why can't we go to the Outlands? Kovu and Vitani weren't that bad. I'm perfectly fine," I asked my mother years ago._

" _Because the Outsiders are dangerous. They were followers of King Scar," Aina replied. We were out walking in the night, heading for the acacia tree we sat by some nights._

" _Who is Scar? Kovu mentioned him once. I didn't know what he was talking about."_

" _Scar_ was _a terrible king who ruled the Pridelands for about three or four years. He did many horrible things. Because of him, food went scarce for a long time. But, luckily, the rightful king of the Pridelands returned and Scar was taken care of," my mother explained._

" _What bad things did he do?"_

" _I really mustn't say."_

" _Why not? I can handle it," I said, trying to sound brave._

" _You'll learn about it when you get older. Come. Let's watch the stars. There's something important you must learn. All parents teach this to their children." They sat under the tall tree, surrounded by emerald and golden grass..._

~0~

"Nyota, wake up!" Kovu said urgently.

My eyes popped opened and I stood up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I heard something," he replied in a whisper as he watched the grass closely.

I rolled my eyes. I looked up at the sky and realized it was still night. "Are you sure it wasn't just your tail moving against the grass?"

"I'm sure."

"We should probably head back before-"

"Nyota!" A half second later, Kovu pushed me out of the way and a lioness jumped on him.

"Kovu!" I ran over to help when a I felt a sudden impact. Then, next thing I knew I was tumbling down the hill, slashing at the other lioness. Her claws were ready to draw blood. I then heard three different roars at the top of the hill.

When we hit the bottom, I pinned the lioness to the ground and growled. "What are you doing here, Outsider?"

She growled, then gave me a smirk that made me feel really uncomfortable. "I was ordered to come here and follow simple instructions." She clawed at me, but I luckily dodged it by getting off of her. She slashed at me again, and I wasn't so lucky this time. Her insanely sharp claws grazed my right cheek. The scratch marks were covered my tuft that veiled the right side of my face.

I slowly turned my head towards her and snarled. "Why were you sent here? What were you instructed to do?"

"Zira sent us to get rid of an interference in her plan."

"Why doesn't she get rid of it herself?" We started to circle each other.

"Because she's busy making sure her plan is intact," she said it as if it were obvlious. Which it kinda was, kinda not.

" _What_ is the interference?"

She gave another one of her cold smirks. "You."

"Wha-GAH!" A massive searing pain ran down my back.

I turned around and went face to face with a familiar lioness. "Why, hello, Pridelander. Long time no see," she said with a crazed grin. Her claws were coated with my blood.

"Msaliti," I growled.

"Zira promised us a challenge. Did she not, Hatari?" Msaliti chuckled.

"That she did. Let's hope it's true." They both started to circle me, growling.

Even though my back was on fire, I smirked. "Two against one. Seems pretty fair. Who wants to go down first?"

Msaliti jumped first, baring her fangs. She pounced on me and bit my shoulder. I threw her off and used my strength to hold her down as I slashed at her. Hatari jumped on my back and pulled me off of her friend, running her claws down my back as she did so. It made the pain even worse.

She and I started to claw at each other, trying to push one another to the ground and get it over with. It was difficult since Hatari was somewhat stronger than me. "Why don't you just give up now, Nyota? You'll be dead soon anyway," she snarled.

"I thought you wanted a challenge? I can be a challenge. Only if my opponents are up to it. Or are you afraid of getting beat by someone a little weaker than you?" Taunting usually works on getting you enemies all worked up. You can use their anger against them.

" _Afraid_? Please." It was clearly working. Hatari jumped at me without thinking, and I quickly moved out of the way, letting her bump into Msaliti, hitting her head along the way. When they both tried to get up, they both seemed kind of dazed.

I walked up to them and snarled. "I suggest the two of you leave _now_. Before I let my anger take over and rip the two of you to shreds with my fangs. Go!"

They both growled, but left while they still had the chance. They probably thought I was bluffing, but weren't sure. The thing was, I really did want to rip them apart. I wanted to hurt them without showing mercy. _Great Kings, I'm turning into Kikatili,_ I thought to myself. That lioness has been on my mind everyday. About a month before Kovu showed up.

I realized that the noise from the top of the hill had died down and that the sun had started to rise. I walked back up the hill limping a bit. Since my back had been grazed deeply twice, and my shoulder had been bit, it was a little difficult to walk up the elevation of land. I cursed at myself for falling asleep while watching the sunset.

When I reached the top, I saw Kovu run towards me."Kovu." I gave him a weak smile. I'm glad he's still alive. He had a few deep scratches on his forelegs and back, but he was in a better condition than me.

"Nyota. Are you ok- no your not. What happened back there?" He asked a bit worried.

"The Outsiders were pretty hard to deal with. Two of them against one of me."

"They probably didn't stand a chance," Kovu laughed a little bit, though he had a pained look on his face. "Sorry I wasn't there to help. I-"

"It's fine, Kovu. Really. Besides, if you had gone down there, the fight would've taken longer than necessary. We should probably head back to Pride Rock. We'll need to explain somethings, of course." I honestly didn't have the energy to walk all the way back, but we had too. Simba gets worried a little too easily.

~0~

 **(Third Person)**

"Where were you two all night? What happened?" Simba asked in a stern voice as Kovu and Nyota walked up.

"We were by the old acacia watching the sunset when we fell asleep. We were then attacked by a couple of Outsiders. But, we luckily got rid of them," Nyota explained in between exhausted and pained breaths.

Simba's head instantly snapped towards Kovu. "Did you know this would happen?" he growled.

"What? No. Of course I didn't. I would've warned you if I had known," Kovu said a bit quickly.

"Do you at least havean idea why it happened?"

"Well, no..."

"One of the lionesses told me that Zira had sent them to get rid of an interference in a plan of hers," Nyota took a quick glance at Kovu, one that Simba thankfully didn't notice.

"Do you know what it is." Simba hoped for an actual answer this time.

The younger lioness hesitated for a second. "I'm kind of the interference," she said, then added quickly, "but, you don't have to worry. It's not a big deal."

Kovu was shocked to find out Nyota was the interference. He mentally beat himself up for not realizing this sooner. He was _not_ going to let his mother hurt her, or anyone else.

"Um, it kind of is a pretty big deal if Zira just sent a whole bunch of her lionesses to get rid of you. What if they suceeded? What would you want us to do then?" Kiara said as she walked up to them.

"We will discuss this later. For now, Rafiki will heal your wounds. Then you two need to eat, drink water, and rest. We will take care of everything once the both of you are in better conditions. Right, Simba?" Nala said, not really asking him.

The king of the Pridelands sighed. "Yes. We will talk later. I'll go get Rafiki."

* * *

"Well? Did you get the job done?" Zira asked with an insane look in her eyes as Hatari, Msaliti, and the other lionesses entered the hollow termite mount.

Msaliti shook her head. "No. She kind of was a challenge. Your son was with her, so we had to send the other three after him. But, don't worry. He's fine. Just a few scratches."

Zira growled and walked over to a stone wall. She got on her hind legs and ran her claws along the wall, sharpening then. "Must I do everything my self? Not even two of you can defeat _one_ lioness. Especially Kikatili's little brat?"

"I-we're sorry, Zira. She was just t-"

"Silence! Not another word from you. Vitani!"

Zira's daughter appeared a seocnd later. " Yes, mother?"

"Make sure the others keep training harder! The battle will be rescheduled. At least I can make sure that _most_ of you are properly trained. Go, now!" Vitani nodded and obeyed her mother's command. "This battle will be bloodier than expected."

* * *

 **Well….this was some chapter. I hope you enjoyed it in a way. :) I had to add a chapter like this. Tell me what your thoughts are. Constructive critism only, please:)**


	11. Chapter XI

**New chapter! Yesss! So, I thought some of this chapter sounded corny or cheesy or something like that. I don't know. Please tell me what you guys think. It really does help.**

* * *

 **Chapter XI**

"She has basically been planning this for years. Zira has pretty much thought of nothing else," Kovu explained.

"Boy, does she need to get a life," Nyota muttered. Kovu chuckled at her comment a bit.

"So, she thought I killed Scar? Did she miss the entire part with the hyenas?" Simba asked.

"Uh, yeah. I think. But,there might be a change in plan. Might."

"But, she's been planning this ever since Scar's death, right? Why would she change it now?" Nala said.

"I don't know, honestly. Maybe she'll come up with something. Hopefully not." Kovu had already explained Zira's original plan to them. He had been with that Pride for a couple of weeks now. Long enough for Simba to believe whatever Kovu was saying.

"And, there's something else," Kovu said. "My mother had told me that there's a traitor here in you Pride, Simba. I don't know who it is. Just that they've been in contact somehow."

The king cursed under his breath. "What else is there to know?"

"Nothing. Or, at least, something Zira hasn't told me about."

"Well, we need to find out who this traitor is, and soon. Before things take a wrong turn," Nyota said.

* * *

The Outsiders made way for the lioness that walked by. She walked up to their leader. "Kovu told them everything. Just like you said he would."

Zira grinned. "Perfect. Now all we need is for him and Simba to be alone and far from Pride Rock."

"And, what if that doesn't happen?" the traitor asked.

"Make him lose confidence in his most trusted member."

"I doubt it'll be that easy. He is sure to believe her over anything you would tell him, Zira." The Pridelander was starting to have second thoughts about helping this Outsider.

"Oh, but I have a plan." Zira leaned in to whisper into the other lioness's ear. The plan was perfect and sure to work. "Go now. Before they notice that you are gone."

The lioness nodded and ran out. Nuka ran up to his mother. "Hey, mom. Can I lead the ambush with you?!" He asked with a crazed grin.

Zira rolled her eyes. "Your sister already has that position."

"Then….can I be king?"

"Well, only if Kovu has truly betrayed us, and if you kill Simba. Otherwise, Vitani will be Queen of the Pridelands."

Nuka sighed. "Fine. I promise I will get rid of Simba. For you mother." _And for me_.

"For now, get the others ready."

* * *

"Hey, Nyota!" The lioness ran up to the huntress.

The Pridelander stopped walking and turned around. "Hi. Where were you last night?"

"Oh. Just checking on Kion. Making sure he was doing his job right," the other lioness replied.

Nyota raised an eyebrow. "Is that _all_ you did? Because it seemed to take you a bit long. And I didn't see you when I went to get Kion for bed."

She was really good at telling when there was a lie. Even if they're very vague. "Just tell me where you were."

The other lioness smirked and walked closer to the Pridelander. She whispered everything Zira had told her to tell Nyota. As she listened, her smile slowly faded away. She couldn't do what Zira told her to. But, if she didn't….

"So, what's it gonna be, Nyota?" the traitor asked.

"I-I can't do that."

"You know if you don't-"

"I know. I just don't get why you would work for _her_ ," Nyota said.

"Yes, you do. I guess you were right for never trusting me. But, you should really listen to Zira."

Nyota started to pace back and forth. _But, if you don't do it, you won't be considered a traitor. Then again, everyone will die. If you do it, you can stop this, but Simba may not trust you anymore._

 _She should definitely do it._

 _She really shouldn't._ The voices in her head started to yell at each other. At least none of them were Kikatili's voice. "Would you just shut up," Nyota whispered.

"What was that?" the other lioness asked.

"I….I'll do it. As long as Zira promises to keep her deal. And, as long as you don't tell anyone about this. Or else I won't be so nice to you this time. Got it?" Nyota growled.

The lioness backed away a little in fear. She knew Nyota wasn't someone you'd want to mess with. Especially now. But, she took a deep breath and laughed a bit, trying to hide how nervous she was. "Sure thing, Princess." The only reason she called her 'Princess' was because Simba treated Nyota like his own daughter….most of the time, anyway. She looked over her new enemy's shoulder and smirked. "Looks like your boyfriend's waiting for you. Better go see what he wants."

Nyota snarled at her, but left and walked over to Kovu. "What was that about?" He asked.

"Nothing. We just don't get along very well," Nyota half lied.

Kovu gave her a disbelieving look, but went with it. "Okay, then. Um, Gem asked if you wanted to go hunting. Just the three of us, since, I guess, it'll be easier for you to concentrate and not worry about anyone turning on you, or anything like that."

"Sure. I really need to blow off some steam. These past couple of weeks have been super exhausting."

Kove agreed with her. "Great. Let's go."

~0~

"So, how's it like living in the Pridelands, Kovu?" Gem asked excitedly.

"Uh, it's been good, I guess. I was really happy to see Nyota again after all these years," Kovu said.

"Oh, really?" She looked at Nyota and smirked. She then wiggled her eyebrows.

Nyota shot her a warning look, but smiled. "I'm glad to see Kovu as well. We are best _friends_ , after all." She elbowed Gem playfully, but with some force.

"Ow!" Gem whispered.

"Hehe, I guess," Kovu sounded a bit disappointed for a moment. Though, he really had no idea why. He then spotted something. "Look! Over there. That zebra looks promising," he whispered as he crouched lower in the grass. They did the same thing.

They split apart and circled the zebra quietly. It was surrounded on three sides. Nowhere to run. The lions counted in unison in their heads. _One...two...three…_ The jumped from their hiding spots and attacked their prey. The zebra yelped in pain. The lionesses slashed at it with their claws as the lion bit the grass eater's legs. It kicked Kovu in the face and kicked the lionesses off. It ran in the opposite direction. After Nyota recovered in that quick second, she growled and ran after it. Luckily, the zebra was alone. It would've been difficult to catch one zebra if they were in groups. Those zigzag lines confused the lions a lot.

Nyota sped up as she ran after the zebra, getting closer by the second, Gem and Kovu at her side. Once she was close enough, she pounced on the injured animal and sank her fangs into it's throat while her two friends held it down. After two seconds, the creature went still and would never wake up. She ran her tongue over her teeth and tasted the metallic liquid that had come from the zebra.

"We did it! Awesome!" Gem said as she and Kovu started help Nyota carry their kill.

"Yeah. This one was tougher than the others. Um, you guys okay?"

"Fine. Just fine. Let's bring this back to Pride Rock. I'm kind of hungry," Kovu said.

"Yeah. But dinner isn't until later. You probably should've eaten more yesterday."

Kovu made a face. "Well, you ate most of our kill."

"I did most of the work, Kovu," Nyota smirked.

"She kinda did," Gem said. They were all silent for a moment. She changed the subject. "So, uh, what was your most dangerous adventure as cubs?"

"The time Kovu almost got eaten by a hippopotamus and a crocodile. It was both scary and hilarious. It happened because he got a bit impatient and decided to get a closer look."

"Wow. That must've been something," Gem laughed a bit.

Kovu rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah. I-"

 _ROAR!_ The cry echoed from Pride Rock all the way to the hunting grounds.

Gem looked at the others. "You know what that means. Trouble in the Pridelands."

~0~

Kovu, Gem, and Nyota ran up to Nala. "What's wrong?!" Nyota said.

"There have been two strange male lions spotted near the water hole. We're going to try to scare them away. Nyota, lead the others to the waterhole. Gem, Kovu. Come with me. You two and some others are going to make sure no other outsiders are here." The Pridelanders and Outsider followed their instructions.

When Nyota and the other lionesses neared the waterhole, they spotted the two strangers. The first male lion on the right had to be the oldest. He had a full, dark brown mane, cream-colored fur with a slight gold tint, lighter colored underbelly and paws, and red eyes.

The male lion to the left was about a couple of years older than Nyota. He had a golden pelt, an almost full, light brown mane, cream-colored underbelly and paws, and sea-green eyes. They both looked a bit like Simba, but this one was almost identical.

"You two aren't supposed to be here. Leave now, or we will force you out," Nyota growled. The lionesses behind her bared their fangs.

"We just want to speak with your rulers," the oldest said.

"About what?"

"It has to do with the Outsiders and their plan to overthrow Simba," the second one said impatiently. Though, for some reason, his voice quavered when he said 'Simba'. "We need to talk to them. _Now_." He seemed like he really wanted to get it over with and leave as soon as possible.

"Well, you're going to have to wait here whether you like it or not," Nyota replied. She nodded at one of the lionesses and she roared. She looked back at the impatient lion. "They'll be here soon."

"They better be," he said with a very low and quiet growl.

The older lion whispered into the younger one's ear. "I know you don't like being here, but please be tolerant."

"What makes you so sure that m- Simba and Nala will allow us to stay for a while."

"Just wait." They all sat there stared. The other lionesses had relaxed some, but Nyota stayed guarded.

Minutes later, Nala, Simba, Gem, Kovu, and some more lionesses showed up. "What's the problem here?" the king asked.

"They want to speak to you and Nala. They say they know something about the Outsiders," Nyota replied.

"Do they now?"

"Who are you?" The queen asked curiously, with a slight growl.

"You are no longer flaky," he smiled.

Simba took a step forward. "Watch it-"

"Ni?" Nala said.

The stranger nodded and smiled. "That's me."

They both laughed and rubbed the top of their heads against each other. "I thought I'd never see you again. Did you find a Pride to live in. And who is your friend here?" Nala said with a huge grin.

"I am actually the leader of a Pride. This here is K-"

"Moyo," the second lion cut Ni off. "I'm Moyo. Ni's younger brother."

"It's nice to meet you, Moyo," Nala said.

"Ahem. Did I….miss something?" Simba said.

"Simba, this is Ni. He was my friend back in Scar's reign. Remember? I told that story to you and Kopa."

"Oh, yeah. I remember now."

"Ah, so this is the famous Simba I heard about. Nala did miss you so much. I have to say, Moyo looks _so_ much like you. We could possibly be related," Ni laughed, but gave Moyo a look after he did.

"I guess. That would be something," Simba said with a smile.

"How about we head back to Pride Rock and talk some?" Nala suggested. Everyone agreed.

* * *

 **For those of you who don't know Ni, he was in The Lion King 6 New Adventures: Nala's Dare. It's a good book. The series is amazing. Tell me what you think. Until next time. :)✌**


	12. Chapter XII- See You Again

**Hi! I hope you liked the last chapter. Also, I don't exactly own Moyo. In a way I do, but you will see in the next chapter what I mean. And, I want to thank all of you that favorited, or followed this story. Means a lot.**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Carmen: You must read the books! You don't have to if you don't want to. You can probably find them on YouTube. That's where I read them. They're mostly about Kopa and the stories either his parents, or Rafiki tells him.**

* * *

 **Chapter XII**

Kovu walked out of the den and lay next to the rock he used to sleep by. Ni and Moyo didn't trust him because he was an Outsider. And that was what they were kinda talking about. Simba had decided it'd be best if he waited outside.

"This isn't fair," he muttered, "I could help out a lot more with this than those two strangers." He lay there as a million different thoughts raced through his head. Some were memories. The cool, gentle breeze seemed to make his eyes heavy. In a few seconds, he was knocked out.

* * *

(Some time ago)

" _Try not to get distracted by anything, Kovu. We really need these kills," Vitani said._

 _Her younger brother sniffed. "When do I ever?" He knew his sister only wanted to boss him around a little. He didn't mind. After all, she was always on his side and did her best to make sure Zira's plan went smoothly just so he could be king one day._

 _Their mother had ordered them to go hunting in the Pridelands. The two of them each had to get a kill of their own to bring back to the Outlands. They would hunt that night, but had to find wake chases. They had to make sure not to go too far in. So, then, Vitani and her brother went their separate ways._

 _Kovu silently stalked his prey. An isolated wildebeest. A big one, too. What was it doing out alone, away from it's herd? He crept a little closer, staying low to the ground, hidden by the tall grass. He had to hurry a bit and get this over with. It was getting late. Well, it's not like any of the members of Simba's Pride would be hunting at this hour. Maybe._

 _As he got ready to leap, a lioness pounced on the creature before he got the chance to. The herbivore panicked and tried to throw her off. Kovu got a little bit annoyed….mad? He didn't have the time to find another kill. He muttered something about taking the wildebeest away from the lioness, but realized it was a mistake when the lioness look directly at him and growled._

 _Kovu had to admit, she was pretty good at her job. She had her prey dead in under twenty-five seconds. But, he still couldn't figure out why she was hunting so late. "Who's there?" she asked._

" _That was my kill," Kovu growled as he walked out from the grass, but stayed in the shadows so she couldn't see his face even though it was already night. Which made it harder for her to see._

" _It's mine now," she smirked._

" _I saw it first." He sounded like a child, but he didn't care. He_ needed _that wildebeest. Mostly because he didn't want Nuka to make fun of him. Partially so his mother wouldn't yell at him. She rarely did, though._

" _I killed it first. You're not supposed to be here, Outsider. Or, outsider? Whomever you are."_

" _Just let me have the wildebeest and I'll leave. You can find another one."_

" _If you need one so badly, why not go find another one?" The lioness growled._

" _You might warn your Pride in the middle of the fight," Kovu said._

" _Now why would I do that?" He knew this lioness and almost didn't recognize her until that moment. She'd change a lot. The short, brown tuft that she had as a cub had grown and now covered most of the right side of her face. Her eyes matched the night sky. In the moonlight, it seemed like two different shades of blue, a dark violet, but still had the same silver flecks._

 _Kovu didn't have time for this. If he didn't get this now, he'd get in trouble. Not in big trouble, but trouble. The lioness sensed his feelings. She knew that look on his face. Even in the dark. It wasn't hard for_ her _to see. She used to wear it a lot as a cub. A look of worry, sadness, impatientness, and mostly fear. "You know, maybe I can find something else to hunt." She gave him a small, quick smile, turned around and slowly walked away. Kovu almost didn't catch it._

 _That was the first time he saw her after Kopa's death._

* * *

Nyota exited the den to get Kovu. She walked up to him and gently nudged him with her paw. He slowly opened one eye and looked her, then opened the other and yawned. "Hey."

"Um, we're gonna all sleep. You can come inside now," she said.

"Okay. Give me a moment." He stretched a bit, extended his claws and clawed the solid ground. He stood up straight and smiled. "Okay. I'm good to go."

Nyota chuckled. "Don't wake up too fast. The night isn't over yet." She turned around and walked inside, Kovu trailing behind. They took their usual spots: Nyota slept in the far dark corner of the den to the left, Kovu slept all the way on the other side to the right, ten feet from the entrance.

Nyota lay on her left side, facing one of the walls of the den. As she slowly closed her eyes, she silently prayed to the Great Kings that the universe would be nice to her just for tonight, and not give her nightmares.

* * *

 _Nyota was wide awake in between her mother's paws, thinking about the Outsider cub she met days ago. Well, that was all she had been thinking about during her spare time. She hadn't seen him in the longest time. She had lived in the Pridelands for a while and had already started her training for when she became a hunter or a guard._

 _The cub slowly stepped out of her mother's paws and crept outside of the den. She looked back to see if anyone woke up. When she saw nothing, she ran down Pride Rock and headed for the Outlands. Nyota knew she wasn't supposed to be there, but she wanted to see her new friend again. Just in case anything bad were to happen._

 _The young lioness hesitated before she stepped over the border of the Pridelands and Outlands. She looked for the place Kovu described when they were playing one of their games. Nyota started to have second thoughts when she found it. She looked up at the termite mound and shuddered at the sight of it. Before she could sneak inside, the air was knocked right out of her. She realized someone had jumped her. Her eyes were shut tight when she felt her back hit the ground. When she opened them, her dark blue eyes met verdant ones._

" _Do you_ want _to get yourself killed?!" The Outsider cub whisper-yelled._

 _Nyota flinched. "Sorry. I wanted to see you again. You were kinda on my mind for the past couple of days. Couldn't help myself. It was one of those things you need to get over with, ya know? I missed you, Kovu."_

 _Kovu got off of Nyota, and walked away with her. Getting her far from the termite mound. "Well, I have to admit, I missed you, too. But, you shouldn't be here. If I wasn't there, you'd be dead meat! But, I'm glad you came. I walked out because theses past few days have been boring and tiring. My mother is training me to…."_

" _To what?" Nyota raised an eyebrow._

" _I, uh, to….protect you. Yeah. And, of course, to be a better hunter and stuff."_

" _Since when do I need protecting?"_

" _Uh, just a few minutes ago? Duh."_

" _Besides that? Didn't_ I _save you from falling off that cliff three days after we were separated. And that one time with those hyenas and crocodiles near that one river later that day. And-"_

" _I get your point! Sheesh," Kovu said._

 _Nyota smirked. "Maybe I could help you with your training. Teach you some things, too."_

" _Pft. Yeah, right."_

" _Look, you seriously need help with your training. And, what would be the point in coming here anyway if I'll do nothing?"_

" _Well, I guess," Kovu decided._

" _Great! Think of this as your first fighting lesson. Kind of. The only rule is 'Don't kill each other.' Start when you're-"_

 _Kovu took action and leaped at Nyota. She saw this coming and when they made contact, she quickly put her paws in between his arms and pushed her elbows out, making his paws lose a grip on her. They stopped rolling and she used her upper body strength to pin_ him _to the ground instead of the other way around. "Gotcha!" She grinned, then giggled._

 _Kovu stared at her in shock. "How'd you do that? It's never happened to me before when I used to play around with the other Outsider cubs."_

" _It's a trick I've seen the queen use. I had to pay really close attention. It's her special move, I guess you could say. At first, it was all a blur. Then I got used to watching her movements with her paws and stuff and saw what she did clearly."_

" _That's crash. Can you teach me?"_

 _Nyota hesitated. "Well, I don't think so. It just came to me. But, maybe some other time?"_

 _Her friend looked disappointed. "Fine. Let's fight some more. Oh, and is it okay if I call you 'Galaxy' every once in a while?"_

 _Nyota raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Kopa already calls me that. I don't mind.."_

 _"Because you eyes kinda remind of the night sky. Like, they're dark blue, but when you move around, they seem to gain more color:blue, violet, and I think teal. Also, the silvery flecks in your eyes look like stars." Nyota looked like she wasn't sure if that was a complement or something to offend her. Kovu saw this, then added quickly, "I-it's a good thing. In my opinion, your eyes look really awesome."_

 _The female cub blinked. She then smiled. "Thanks! I guess you can call me Galaxy for now. That was actually the first good thing I was told about my eyes. Besides Kopa and Queen Nala. Thank you."_

 _Kovu grinned. "You're welcome! Now," he gave her a devilish look, "back to the fighting."_

 _ **~0~**_

 _After fifteen more fights, the young cubs got tired. "The sun will rise in about two hours. I better go," Nyota said._

 _Kovu looked like he wanted to complain, but sighed instead. "Okay. Will I see you later today or tomorrow?"_

" _Hate to say it, but I've also got training. I'm not as free as you Outsider cubs. I'll see you when I see you, Kovu."_

" _I'll see you soon, Nyota." They rubbed foreheads and went their separate ways._

 _The Pridelander hoped that "Soon" wouldn't be too far away._


	13. Chapter XIII

**Chapter XIII**

Kovu opened his eyes slowly and yawned. He looked around and saw that everyone else had woken up, and had left the den. He didn't expect to have the dream he did have last night. Or any dreams for that matter. His sleep was usually untroubled. And if he _did_ have any dreams, they would mostly be about his mission….

He cursed at himself. He hadn't listened to his mother's commands. He knew something bad would be coming out of this. Kovu had to warn Simba about- No. Not yet. The king still didn't trust him completely. For now, he'd have to figure something out all on his own. He didn't want to put anyone in danger. And he _certainly_ didn't want to get Nyota in more danger than she was already in.

The Outsider walked out of the den and went to the water hole to wake himself up a little more. He was probably the last one to get there because nobody was around. _They went hunting already_ , Kovu decided. As he lowered his head to take a sip, he heard shuffling in the grass. Kovu rolled his eyes. "I'm not falling for that again, Nyota. You can come out."

He heard a familiar chuckle. "Okay. I'll come out." The lioness emerged from the tall grass and glared at Kovu with her blood-red eyes. "Whatever happened to that plan of yours, Kovu?" Zira asked.

Her son growled. "Zira. You're not supposed to be here." Kovu got ready to roar to warn the rest of the Pride, but the older lioness cut him off.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I just came here to talk. And _if_ you do warn the others, I just want to let you know that Msaliti and some of the others are keeping an eye on your girlfriend. So, if you do let the rest of Simba's Pride know, that's their signal to attack."

Kovu glared at his mother some more. He then sighed. "Fine. But, she's not my girlfriend."

Zira smirked. "Wonderful. Now, where was I….ah, yes. The plan. I think you've gotten close enough to the king to end him. Why haven't you done so yet, hmm? You weren't distracted, were you?"

Kovu blinked a few times. "I-No. I wasn't. I just….I don't think we should go on with the plan. I honestly don't get why you want to kill Simba so-"

"Because he _killed_ Scar! We've been over this, Kovu! _He's_ the one that banished us to that horrid place!"

"No! He didn't kill Scar! It was his own fault he died. He betrayed the hyenas' trust and got what he deserved! _He_ was the murderer! Why did you look up to him so much? He was filled with hate, anger, darkness, evil. He barely had a heart except when it came to choosing a queen."

Zira's eyes burned with rage. "That is none of your concern! You _will_ do as I say if you don't want Nyota to do your job and die afterwards!"

Kovu frowned. "What are you talking about? She would never do anything like-"

"Find out for yourself." The lioness smirked. "Do your job and she'll be as safe as a baby elephant."

Kovu snarled and glared at her. "You _will_ regret ever planning this."

Zira chuckled. "What is there to regret when I've already won?" She walked back into the tall grass and disappeared.

Kovu's first instinct was to go look for Nyota.

* * *

The blue-eyed lioness let out a sigh of relief as soon as the Outsiders were out of sight. She was glad they didn't attack. She could barely hold off two of them. Nyota decided look for Kovu and see if he was okay. But, he beat her to it. "Nyota!"

She turned around. She smiled and sighed. "Kovu. Are you okay?"

They embraced each other. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay, good. I'm assuming your mother paid you a little visit?" Nyota pulled away and looked at him.

"She did. And she said the strangest thing. She said you might be doing my job." Kovu raised an eyebrow.

Nyota's smile faded and she looked away. "Well, maybe I _did_ agree to something. But, I told Vitani I didn't want to be part of it anymore."

"Why _did_ you agree to it in the first place, anyway?"

"I did it to protect the princess. And the Pride. If I didn't do what they asked, they were going to murder the Kiara during her next hunt. Sort of like what had happened to….to Kopa. But, much worse," the lioness explained.

"Oh. Is there something else?"

"No. That's about it."

"There's something else. I know there is."

"There's nothing else. I already told you what happened, Kovu." Nyota tried to walk away, but the Outsider blocked her path.

"What is it you're not telling me? If there's something I need to know, you have to tell me."

"I don't _have_ to tell you. Besides, there's nothing else to say. Can you please move. I'm trying to finish my hunt before it's time to head back." She tried to walk past him, but he stepped in front of her.

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I said _move_ , Kovu," Nyota snapped, a low growl rumbling in her throat. The lion didn't budge. He just kept looking at her.

 _Let your anger out. It always fixes your problems. Haven't you learned anything from your dear, old mother? You know you want to destroy everything in your path. Noone's stopping you_ , Kikatili's voice echoed in her head.

Nyota flexed her claws and bared her fangs without thinking about it. Kovu looked down at her paws, and for just a small moment, there was a look of fear in his eyes. "Nyota…."

Finally realising what she was doing, the lioness looked to the side at the ground, trying not to meet his eyes. Her claws went back and she walked past him. This time he didn't stop her. "I'm going to go finish my hunt now."


	14. Chapter XIV

**I forgot to mention that I added a few imortant details in chapter 3, 5, and 12. They're not huge details that changed the entire chapters. Hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter XIV**

Nyota paced back and forth in front of a river, muttering to herself, thinking. _How could I have been so_ stupid _? I could've told the king about this and everything would've been perfectly fine!_ She yelled at herself.

 _Well, actually, the king would've asked why you agreed in the first place. Then you would've lied, or, at least that's what I'd do,_ Kikatili said.

"But, I'm _not_ you. I'll never become you."

 _But, you are. Your turning slowly. Remember what happened earlier?_

The lioness thought back on what had happened that morning. "I-I wasn't thinking."

 _Yes, you knew exactly what you were doing,_ her mother chuckled.

Well, _technically_ she _did_ know what she was doing. Deep within her, she knew she wanted to attack. The good side of her didn't notice what was going on. Nyota was glad she had stopped herself. If she hadn't…..who knows what could've happened.

 _I wish you hadn't. It would've of been_ so _much fun._

"No, it wouldn't have. Maybe as a cub, but those were just games. We didn't _really_ want to kill each other."

 _But, you're all grown now. You can kill if you want._

"I don't want to. Just shut up." There was no response after wards. Nyota sighed with relief. "Thank you. Now I can really think."

"Think about what?" A voice said from behind her.

She jumped and turned around. She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here, Moyo? I thought you and Ni were suppose to leave this morning."

"I thought so to. But, it's actually tomorrow. Trust me, I want to leave just as much as you want us to go. I didn't want to come in the first place," the lion explained.

Nyota could tell he was lying. Not right away like she usually would. She could already tell he was good at lying. "Why? What's so wrong with coming here?"

"Why were you talking to yourself?" Moyo raised an eyebrow.

The lioness sniffed. "That's none of your business. Shouldn't you be hunting or something?"

"Shouldn't _you_?" He grinned.

"It's not funny. I gave up on hunting for today," Nyota said.

"Because you were talking to yourself."

"No. I wasn't- I wasn't talking to myself. Seriously, don't you have somewhere better to be?"

"Not really. Except home. Why're you mad?"

Nyota rolled her eyes. "Because….because I just am, okay? Do you have a _problem_ with that?" she snapped.

"Great Kings, Galaxy, I was just asking a question. I'll leave you alone now. Just know that dinner starts in a few." Moyo started to walk away.

"Fine….wait, what did you say?"

The lion turned back to face her. "That dinner will start in a little bit."

"No, before that."

"I'll leave you alone."

"Before _that_."

Moyo frowned. "I was asking you a question? Great Kings?" he shook his head, "I'm going to go back now. So, I'll see you later."

She let him walk away. If she opened her mouth, she'd just get angrier. Nyota inhaled sharply, let her breath out, and kept walking.

* * *

 _Stupid, stupid,_ stupid. _Ugh, you're_ such _an_ idiot, _Moyo,_ the lion scolded himself as he made his way back to Pride Rock. _What if she already knows?! Ah, you just can't keep your mouth shut, can you? What if Mom and Dad find out? What will they think? I didn't leave them without a reason._

"Moyo," Kovu called from behind him. The newcomer turned around. "Where's Nyota?"

He shrugged. "She said she'll be here in a bit. She was talking to herself about something."

Kovu sighed. "Of course she is. Okay, thanks."

The other male raised an eyebrow then shook his head. Things were so different in that place. He didn't know if he'd ever get used to it. What he _did_ know is that he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Kovu turned back around. "Where is she? I need to talk to her about something."

"I don't think she wants any company right now. She seemed pretty mad when I talked to her. Do you know what's wrong with Nyota?"

The Outsider nodded. "Yeah. It's partially my fault, though. Where is she?" He demanded.

"Um….the main hunting grounds," Moyo answered. He watched as Kovu started to head towards the hunting grounds. The lion walked over to an acacia and sat underneath it's shade. He closed his eyes for a bit, when a voice shook him awake.

"Hey 'little brother'. How are you doing?" Ni asked, looking down at the younger male.

"Can we just get out of here now? I don't want to get to attached."

Ni chuckled and shook his head. "You're gonna stay here. That was the deal. You _will_ tell them. Trust me, you're not going to regret it once they calm down. Don't worry. I'll be right there with you."

Moyo groaned. "Why did I ever agree to this?"

"You know why. It's the right thing to do."

"Staying hidden was the right thing to do as well. Look what it did to Nyota? And Kiara a little bit. She still doesn't want to be queen, but she sure as hell will make a great one. I should just go back with you and forget this ever happened."

"No. I'm not going to let you do that. This is a chance you might never get if you do," Ni said.

"I'll take that risk."

"No you won't. Not with this war coming. I know you won't. And you know deep inside that's true."

"Well, they did fine without me during the last war when Scar's Reign was going to end. Sure I was a couple of months old, but they couldn't risk having me fight out there. They'll do just as fine in this one as they did in the last," Moyo explained to his 'big brother' while glaring at him.

Ni shook his head. "You don't understand, do you? You should've gone back the moment you woke up and got your strength back. I talked to y- to the king and queen….you have no idea how much you were needed here. What they all had to go through before you-"

"They can go longer without me. They'll hate so much if they find out. _Especially_ Nyota. You can't make me do this. What about you? Did you ever try to go back to your pride?"

"That's not how it works. Your Pride is different than mine. I can'tgo back there without fighting my way in. You, you have a free pass."

"I don't care-"

" _Kopa._ " That shut him up real quick. "Do this for your Pride, your parents, your siblings, Nyota. If not, do it for yourself." With that, Ni turnedaround and left the lost prince with a look of shock on his face.


	15. Chapter XV

**So, guys, the thing going on with Nyota is that her biological mother's spirit, Kikatili, is messing with her head, trying to get her to do whatshe wants since she didn't as a cub. She's always been trying to since Nyota was young. Nyota's not going insane. Don't worry. Someone asked me through a PM. I just wanted to clarify that for those of you who didn't know.**

 **Here's the 15th chapter. There're things from Nyota's past during that four year time skip that will be explained throughout the story. Leave a review if you want and tell me your thoughts. Hope you guys enjoy. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter XV**

"Look, Kovu, it's fine, seriously. I'm fine. I just….got mad a little too easily."

"Are you sure?" Kovu asked in a worried voice.

Nyota forced a smile and nodded. "I'm sure. Um, have you noticed anything strange about Moyo lately?"

"Uh, well, he has a temper. And most of the time, when I'm around, he tends to get pretty angry. I don't think he likes me very much."

"Well, yeah, besides that. Earlier he called me 'Galaxy'."

"Really? I haven't called you that since the last time we met. Kopa called you that, too."

"I….I have this crazy thought that Moyo could be Kopa. I know it sounds impossible. Even Rafiki knew he was dead. The condition he was in when we found him….It just doesn't make much sense, but if you just think about it, he looks more like Simba than Ni does. But, younger and some facial differences. He has Kopa's sea-green eyes. And….those faded scars on his body seemed similar to the ones Kopa had when he was….killed. But, what if he didn't die?"

"Nyota, you saw him that day. So did my sister. There's no way he could've survived that."

The lioness sighed. "I still have this strange feeling…."

Kovu shook his head. "I know you miss him, we all do. But, he's gone. He-he's not coming back."

Nyota squeezed her eyes shut and winced. " _Shut up._ " She muttered.

Her friend frowned. "What? Look, I didn't mean to offend you-"

"Not _you_."

"Are you okay?"

She looked back at Kovu and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just have a little headache. I think we should go to Pride Rock. Come on."

As they started to walk, Kovu asked, "So, what have I missed after all these years? Anything interesting happen?"

"Um, well, I'm like a 'co-leader' of our hunting group now; I sometimes help train the younger lions; I got to see you after a long time; I also did have little bit of a relationship in the past with a lion from a different Pride."

"Really? Was he nice?"

Nyota seemed to think for a moment. "He appeared to be nice at first. He later turned out not to such a nice guy. So, has anything been good for you?"

"Well, my fighting skills have improved a lot."

The lioness chuckled. "I noticed."

"Yep. And seeing you again, of course, was good. That's pretty much it. It's been rough."

"Has Vitani gotten any better?"

"She's gotten tougher for sure. A bit too harsh, though. That's how things are in the Outlands."

They continued to walk in silence. Nyota felt terrible for almost attacking Kovu earlier that day. Then again, she wasn't _exactly_ in control. The upcoming battle didn't make her feel any better. She had talked to the king days before. She had never been so stressed like this before. She couldn't sleep, she could catch meals but would barely eat.

Her mind then started to wonder about Zira's plan. She must've known Kovu would've changed his mind, right? If she did, she obviously had a back up plan. Nyota started to get uncomfortable just by thinking what it could be about. What was the Outsider planning? Clearly not something good. Now, they're getting help from the Northeastern Pride because of her. Their army will be stronger than Simba's.

"What's on your mind?" Kovu noticed that she was deep in thought.

Nyota looked at him. "Oh, just the battle. Um, the Outsiders have a new ally who's gonna help them out. His Pride is no joke. They're pretty powerful."

"Who? How do you know this?"

"News travels fast from the underground," she offered. She wasn't exactly lying. When she did what Zira asked, the leader from the Northeastern Pride didn't want to help because of her relationship with his son some time ago. But, he apparently wanted to help the Outsiders now. All of these different things going on started to make Nyota get a bit confused.

"I was thinking about discussing the situation with Simba. Hopefully, he'll understand. Plus, Ni might be able to get his Pride to help us out."

Kovu nodded. "Maybe. I just hope we have enough time. My mother's really good at coming up with back up plans beter than the original ones. I'm starting to wonder how bad this plan'll be."

* * *

"I hear you need my help, Zira," the russet red lion grinned at the Outsider. He had a blonde mane, violet eyes, beige colored underbelly and paws, and a dark brown tail tuft.

"Askari. I am _so_ glad you could make it. I'm assuming Nyota had talked to you?" Zira said.

"She did. Though, she wasn't very welcomed because of her past relationship with my son. So, this….battle. When will it begin?"

"Ah, soon. We just need to get your Pride over here to train with us."

"Already done."

Another male lion walked up behind him. He had cold beige fur, marshmallow white underbelly, colorless paws, a chocolate brown mane, and the same violet eyes as his father with that harsh glare. "What are we going to do about Nyota? She's a big problem."

"I told her to meet us here the day before the battle. Well, _me_. You will be hiding. In that moment, we'll kill her."

"Why not sooner," Askari asked.

"Father….I'm not very sure about this idea."

"Don't worry, Muuaji. You don't have feelings for her anymore, do you?"

"I-No. No. I'll be glad to help. But, why kill her, when we can just do something that'll just hurt her?"

Zira liked where he was going. "Hmm, yes. Something that'll keep her from fighting and confused. But, something that'll also take Kovu away from her. Any ideas?"

Muuaji took a deep breath and thought for a moment. He looked at Askari. "Father, I'll be king of our Pride soon, correct?" The older lion nodded. "And do you suggest I get an heir right away of my own?" His father nodded once more. Muuaji looked back at Zira, and she seemed to understand. Askari's son smirked. "I can't have an heir with just _any_ lioness. She needs to be strong, smart, brave. I need to know who she is. Every detail about her. Which I already do."

"Nyota would never agree to that," Vitani said as she walked into the termite mound.

Muuaji chuckled. "Which is why I'm going to force her. Tomorrow. And I have the perfect plan."

* * *

 **I am such a terrible person. Muuaji is a real pervert. I apologize for the shorter chapters. School has been a real pain in the ass. Luckily, it's almost over! So, my chapters will be longer and better. Until then I'll do my best. Love you guys! :)**


	16. Chapter XVI

**WARNING!: If you do not like to read about rape, DO NOT READ this CHAPTER!**

* * *

 **Chapter XVI**

Everyone in the Pride gathered up to say their goodbyes to Ni before he left to return to his home. He wasn't going to be gone very long, though. After Nyota had talked to Simba's Pride about the issue, Ni said he'll help in any way he could.

"I'm going to miss you, Ni," the queen said as she embraced her friend.

"And I you, Nala. But, I'll be back soon, so no need to worry. With the help of my Pride, you'll be very likely to win this battle."

Simba walked up to them. "I certainly hope so. I can't thank you enough, Ni. There must be some way I can repay you."

The slightly older lion chuckled and shook his head. "No need for that. Your hospitality has been wonderful these past couple of days. I'm glad I could help."

As they all finished talking, Ni saw Moyo glaring at him, but, at the same time, looked kind of sad. He shot him a look only the lost prince would understand at the moment: _If you leave everyone_ now _, you'll be making the_ biggest _mistake of your life._ And with that, he finished saying "Goodbye" and left.

~0~

Nyota was really going to miss having Ni around. He enjoyed helping out and his stories were really interesting. But, she still had to deal with Moyo, who was staying in the Pridelands. The lioness assumed that Ni had talked that over with the king and queen. She spotted the newcomer no more than ten feet away. She walked up to him. "So, how long are you supposed to stay here with us?"

Moyo sighed. "I honestly don't know. I guess it won't be that bad staying here."

Nyota raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated staying here. You were so desperate on going back with Ni."

"I….I changed my mind. It's actually pretty great. I just need to get used to all of this."

"So….you've never been to the Pridelands before?"

The lion's hesitation was very subtle, but it was there. "Uh, no. Not really."

"Really? Because when Gem and I showed you guys around, you seemed to know _exactly_ where you were going."

"Well, Ni told me a little bit about the place on our way here. Remember, he's visited before."

"A long time ago."

"Ni has the memory of an elephant."

"Is Ni really your brother?" Nyota asked in suspicion.

 _She knows something's off about you! Why did you not keep your mouth shut? You could've ignored her,_ Moyo yelled at himself. "Not exactly. I was lost as a cub. Something terrible took me away from my family. Ni found me and took me in. He's been like an older brother to me for a long time. Why do you care?" _This attitude isn't you. Just tell her and you won't have to suffer anymore, idiot!_

"I was just wondering. You look a _lot_ like an old friend of mine. He's been gone for a long while. I thought you were him for a moment. Sorry." Even though she made it seem like she wasn't interested anymore, the lioness knew he was hiding something. "Well, we're about to go hunting. You can join if you want."

"When you say 'We', do you just mean that _you're_ going hunting. I noticed that you usually hunt alone."

Nyota shrugged. "I have my reasons. The other lionesses go hunt in the main grounds. I hunt near the border. Lots of prey like to hide around so _they_ don't get hunted. Everyone else obeys the great Circle of Life."

Moyo didn't think Nyota wanted to be bothered, so he said, "I'll just hunt with the other lionesses. You seem to do a great job on your own."

She looked disappointed for about half a second, but smiled to hide it. "Okay. That's fine. I'll see you later." The lion smiled back and they went their separate ways.

* * *

As Nyota walked farther and farther away from Pride Rock, she did her best to block out the thoughts about the battle. But, thinking about Zira's new ally only made it worse. Hunting at night usually helped with getting stressful things off her mind. The lioness was starting to hope that she wouldn't have to deal with _him_ again. But, unfortunately, she was out of luck.

The unfamiliar noises in the grass made her really uncomfortable. Especially at night. She knew she was being watched. "Who's there?"

The recognizable lion emerged from the darkness. "Nyota. Just the lioness I wanted to see."

She growled. "Muuaji. Why are you here?"

Her former lover chuckled. "Like I said before, I came to see you." He started to walk towards her. "I need something from you. A small favor. I'll be king of my Pride soon, and I need an heir. " Muuaji rubbed his body against hers as he walked past.

The lioness moved away quickly. "Like I'd do anything _you_ ask. And there's certainly no way in hell that I'll carry your cub."

Askari's son laughed in amusement. "What the hell is so funny?" Nyota snarled.

Muuaji smirked. "It's funny that you think you actually have a choice. Gods, Nyota. Did you really forget who I am?"

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten the psycho you are."

"Good. Because you're alone with me. And I get to do whatever I want to you, seeing as your far away from home, you have nowhere to go."

Nyota frowned. "Wh-" Before she could even blink, the air was knocked out of her. She felt a massive amount of weight on her before she cried out in pain. She struggled to let herself free from Muuaji's grasp, but he was too strong.

" _Stop_ making it harder for yourself. The more you fight, the longer this will take," he snarled.

The pain of the intense mating made Nyota's head spin and her vision blur. She knew she couldn't let Muuaji finish. She then remembered that he had a weak spot. He had this huge scar on his stomach from when he was about two. He was chasing some lionesses around when he fell into a gorge and onto a sharp rock. She kicked the spot with her back leg, making the lion roar in pain and loosen his grip. This time, she kicked his stomach with both back legs, using all her strength, and pushed him off. Nyota saw this as her chance to make a run for it.

Unfortunately, Muuaji had other ideas. He forced himself to recover quickly and managed to trip the female before she could get far. Nyota let out a gasp as she felt the ground disappear beneath her and hit her chin. She was faster than him, and he knew that. But, he was a _lot_ stronger. "Not so fast, pretty one. We're not finished yet."

Nyota fought and tried to push him off with all her might. All of this gave her a massive headache. When Muuaji saw that she didn't enough strength to fight anymore, though she intended to, he mounted her again.

"Why are you….doing this?!" Nyota said breathlessly. She had no idea what to do in this situation. Well, she did everything her mother taught her to do incase anything like that ever happened, but Muuaji always found a way to make sure she never finished.

He didn't answer her question. He just gave her his perverted grin. "You look beautiful when you're frightened, did you know that?" His tongue slid up her cheek and nibbled her neck as he said it.

Nyota tried to turn around and strike at him with her claws, but he quickly held the paw down sinking his own claws into her skin. "You _will_ regret this!" She growled at him. She wanted to break down crying, but she wasn't going to let herself do that. She needed to save herself if no one was coming to rescue her.

Muuaji shook his head. "Oh, Nyota. Tell me, what is there to regret when I already have what I want?"

She thought for about a milisecond. "What will your mother say about your behavior?"

"Nothing. She knows what would happen to her if she starts to get an attitude with me or my father. I suggest you keep your mouth _shut_ if you don't want to end up the same way Aina did."

"Don't you _dare_ let my mother's name come out of your muzzle again if you want to keep it." She kept trying to fought back, but Muuaji kept forcing her back down.

"I like them fiery. Of course, they're not all like you."

Nyota started to see black spots and hear a ringing noise in her ears. She was going to pass out from all of the pain! She just _had_ to keep herself awake, otherwise she'd have to go through this nineteen more times. She had no idea what she'd do if she got pregnant with _this_ lion's cub. Especially with the battle. Nyota knew Muuaji was bad, but she didn't think he'd be this _cruel_.

Muuaji rubbed the back of her ears with his tongue. Nyota bit back the urge to let out a purr. But, unfortunately she a sigh escaped her mouth, and the lion she was beneath to this as a sign of _enjoyment._ Though she was far from it. Then, she felt an intense ache inside her as she felt them 'Become one' and clawed at the ground. There was no way in hell this was happening! She didn't like this one bit. She _hated_ feeling him inside of her. She couldn't go through with this. But, the lioness had no other way of saving herself except keep trying to fight. But, that wasn't doing any good.

Nyota knew she was pretty far away from Pride Rock, but after fifteen minutes of trying to keep Muuaji away so he would barely get a good chance, which he pretty much was, she began to wonder if anyone in the Pride had heard the cries and roars. More time passed as she struggled. That's when she broke out into sobs. "Please, just _stop_!" She managed to choke out and beg, "I can't take this anymore! Great Kings and Queens, stop!"

All Muuaji did was laugh with a look of amusement in his hungry eyes. "We have barely begun, my dear. The fun part hasn't started yet."

He applied more pressure on Nyota. "AH!" She gasped as the pain flared, grabbed at the grass, and cried even more. She started to wish her life was easier than this. She could tell Muuaji was enjoying this. Since Nyota was alone, and _much_ too far away from Pride Rock, hecould do whatever he wanted to do to her, and whenever. Exactly the way things were like in his Pride. They used the females for breeding and hunting purposes only. They were the game, and the males were the players in control.

Most of all, Muuaji absolutely _loved_ it when they begged. He never got too far to where they had his cubs, but just far enough. He didn't want in heir then with _those_ females. But, he sure as hell wanted one with this _extremely fine_ lioness. He knew he'd get a healthy and strong cub from her, and she'd make an excellent queen. Besides, she was _way_ more fun to play around with than the others. They didn't _dare_ fight back, or it'll cost them. But, he was tempted to keep this one, no matter what. He'd find a way to keep her under tamed.

Nyota didn't like where this was going. Who would? She felt an intense pain in her stomach, and she knew Muuaji was going too far. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything about it. The more she tried to escape, the more pain the lion would inflict on her. She already felt weak. Open wounds covered her legs from the times she tried to get away. Every time she made a threatening move, Muuaji would sink his claws into her skin even deeper. Nyota decided she had to try one last time. She gathered as much air as possible and let out a nice, powerful roar. Which slowly turned into a cry and yell of pain as Muuaji hurt her more than ever. She sobbed even more, feeling powerless, waiting for it to be over.

Just before she was about to give out, she felt all of the weight being lifted from her chest. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, but more dots appeared. She turned her body around so that she was lying on her side, and wheezed, trying to stay awake. But, her eyes got heavier with each second that passed. All of the roars and voices in the distance grew muffled. Then, there was only darkness.


	17. Chapter XVII

**Chapter XVII**

" _What_ are you _doing?!"_ Muuaji growled at Vitani.

"We're running out of time. We have to go _now._ It's been at least an hour and a half. I'm pretty sure you got what you wanted," the lioness hissed.

"Muuaji looked down at the passed out Pridelander to his right. He sniffed. "Yeah, right."

" _Muuaji."_ They both turned their heads to see Askari, Muuaji's father, walk towards them.

His son gave him a small pout. "Twenty-five more minutes?" Vitani rolled her eyes at the child like question.

The russet colored lion barely glanced at Nyota before nodding. "Fifteen minutes." ZIra's daughter wrinkled her nose. She was _so_ glad she wasn't part of the Green Mountain Pride. She wanted to help Nyota, but she knew she'd fail if she tried.

Muuaji cleared his throat. "It'd be nice if we had some privacy. I don't want an audience." Both Askari and Vitani left Muuaji to finish his business with the lioness.

* * *

Nyota woke up aching all over, her fur slightly tainted with blood, her body covered in bruises. She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun hadn't risen yet. Judging by the position of the moon, it was somewhat past the middle of the night. The lioness stood up and started walking towards Pride Rock. On her way, she stopped by the water hole to get a drink and wash herself up. She thought about the events that happened earlier and what Muuaji did to her. She had no idea what happened when she passed out, and she started to hope she wasn't going to bear a cub. She feared what would happen if she did and what the other's would think.

When she reached Pride Rock, everyone was either finishing up whatever they killed together, or were already asleep. When Nyota walked into the den, she tried her best to avoid everybody and go to the spot she usually slept on. "Hey, Nyota." The lioness froze, but didn't turn around. "Aren't you gonna eat?"

She faced Moyo and shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"You were out hunting longer than any of us tonight. Looks like you didn't catch anything, so you should eat something."

"We're lions, Moyo. We can go days without food. I already had some water on the way."

After a moment, Moyo smirked. "I thought you were one of the best hunters in this Pride. What happened here?"

"Shut up, Moyo. You pounced at a zebra that was right in _front_ of you and missed by ten inches your first time." The lion knew they hung out too much as cubs when he saw the smirk on Nyota's face reflected his own.

He shuddered at the memory. "I was rushing! Plus, you guys made me really uncomfortable. Besides, it ran away when I was in mid-air."

The look on Nyota's face faded. _Can this night get any worse?_ she asked herself. That memory happened before he arrived. Years before. Moyo frowned and took a step closer, and she stepped back. "The hell, Moyo? Ever heard of 'Personal Space'?"

He sniffed. "You smell funny."

Nyota's heart skipped a beat and gulped. To hide her real expression, she rolled her eyes. "You smell funny, too, Moyo. I'm not a native Pridelander. Of _course_ I won't smell like them."

He shook his head. "No. That's not what I meant. You have two different scents…"

"What's going on here?" The queen asked as she walked up to them.

"Nothing!" Nyota said quickly.

"Mhm." Nala raised an eyebrow.

"Galaxy here smells strange. And I don't mean 'You need to take a bath' strange. It's awfully familiar," Moyo explained.

Nala frowned and started circling Nyota, sniffing the air around her. After a couple of seconds, she stopped abruptly, and started checking _every_ inch of the younger lioness. " _What happened?"_

"I don't know what you mean," Nyota answered in a shaky voice.

Nala's eyes narrowed. "You know _exactly_ what I mean. He was here, wasn't he?" Nyota looked away and didn't answer. The queen made Aina's daughter face her. " _Wasn't he?"_

"YES!" Nyota snapped. Everyone grew silent at the outburst. Her eyes widened in surprise at herself. "I-I'm sorry. I-"

"I know you didn't mean to yell, it's fine."

"Sorry. I was just-"

"What's going on here?" The king asked tiredly as he approached them.

"I….uh….I ran into Muuaji during my hunt-"

" _What?!"_ Both Simba and Gem yelled in unison. Gem ran over to her friend and started checking her.

Nyota pulled away. "I'm fine."

"Nyota, if he was with you, you are certainly _not_ fine."

Moyo interrupted. "I'm sorry, but...who is this 'Muuaji'?"

"Her _mpenzi wa zamani,"_ Kovu answered. His eyes then thinned. "Why? What about him?"

"He….just payed me a visit. That's all," the lioness said as if that were what really happened. Which it sorta did. She shot a pleading look to the queen.

Before any more questions or comments could be expressed, she said, "Alright! I think everyone should go to bed. It's been a _very_ long hunt and we all need our rest." As everyone else headed to their spots, she slightly put her paw in front of Nyota, telling her to stay back. "Come talk to me outside," she whispered.

~0~

Nyota paced back and forth in front of the water hole, where they were _way_ out of earshot. " _Ndugu mmoja,_ you _need_ to tell me what happened," Nala told Aina's daughter.

The younger lioness sat down on the floor and breathed deeply. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She knew she could trust the queen and the Pride, but she didn't know what she was going to do if she really ended up getting pregnant. Nyota opened her dark blue orbs and parted her lips to speak. "I….was hunting where I always would at night, evidently, but I couldn't find anything. That confused me since there was _always_ some sort of animal besides insects. Nothing. Not even a _single_ bird. I, _stupidly,_ decided to go a bit farther away to see if there was an isolated zebra or antelope. That's when…. _Muuaji_ appeared. He said he needed something from me. Something he could get from _any_ lioness, but wanted it fr-from me," her voice cracked. She placed her head between her paws and continued, "He said….he said he n-needed and heir. I refused and then he-he-" She didn't go on. She couldn't. Nyota cried hard.

Nala tried to comfort the girl. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm here. Everything's gonna be….it's gonna be fine." She rubbed the lioness's back as she thought. She'd never seen Aina's daughter look so….broken. If Nyota ended up carrying a cub, how would she handle it? From experience, Nala knew it would be painful, but she had expected it. There were plans. But Nyota….she didn't want that to happen. She was still three and would be turning four in early August, only six months away. Knowing Muuaji, she knew he didn't just want Nyota or an heir. He wanted to scar her, leave her a reminder that he would always win, always get his way. Remind her that her life was only going to get even more miserable, and he wasn't going to leave her alone. _If_ Nyota was pregnant, he would come back for both her and the cub. The Pridelanders could try to stop him, but she was his mate now. There were certain rules that shouldn't even exist, but the Pridelands had certain laws that overpowered those rules. Of course, Muuaji wouldn't care where he was. He'll do as he pleases. But, in the Pridelands, they fight for one another. The lion would most likely die trying to get what he wants-

A heavy breath from Nyota interrupted the queens thoughts. Nala looked down and saw that the young lioness was asleep. She didn't want to wake her up, so she carefully placed Nyota on her back and started heading back to Pride Rock. She wasn't going to tell anyone what happened, for Nyota's sake. But, she knew they were going to have to at some point. Secrets were a heavy burden every creature had.

* * *

Muuaji was somewhat….excited. Nyota was his mate now, and there was no doubt he got what he wanted. Then again, he felt like he didn't have enough time, so there was a slim chance of it _not_ happening. _Who cares. She's_ mine _now. No one can take that away._ For some reason, his cruel thoughts drifted to a memory with Nyota that wasn't so bad. Of course, it had it's truthful places. How he really felt about her….

 _(Flashback)_

 _Muuaji ran over to the blue-eyed lioness and gently bumped into her. "Hey."_

 _She smiled at him. "Hey. Haven't seen you for a while. What's up?"_

" _Nothing much. My dad's in a super long meeting with your king so I thought we should hang out and have fun today," he said, checking her out without her noticing._

 _Nyota chuckled. "And do what exactly?"_

" _Well, there's plenty to do here. We can look for shapes in the clouds, have some fun by the water hole, spend some time alone, hunt, fight, countless other things. Need I say more?"_ Gods, she's beautiful, _Muuaji thought._

" _The day is gonna end soon, so I doubt there'll be enough time for cloud watching. What do you do for fun at_ your _pride?"_

 _Muuaji hesitated. "Ah, you don't want me to answer that."_

" _Of course I do. I want to get to know you a little bit better."_

 _The lion smirked at her. "A little?"_

" _Okay, maybe a lot. Come on, what's so bad about the Green Mountain Pride, hm?"_

" _Er, nothing really. It's just quite….boring, I guess you could say."_

" _Well, for someone who lives in a 'boring' pride, you sure have a way of representing_ exactly _what your pride is like."_

 _Her lover grinned. "Oh really?"_

" _Oh, yes. You bore me to death just by talking," Nyota said sarcastically._

 _Without warning, she flipped off the ground and gently set on the ground, her back against the soft grass. She looked up at Muuaji with a subtle look of surprise on her face, but then gave him a benign smile. "Then, let's not talk at all," he whispered to her._

 _Nyota smirked, then used her back legs to push him and flip their positions. She brought her face closer to his and said, "I'm perfectly fine with that." Muuaji licked her cheek and nuzzled it gently. The lioness purred and returned the gesture._

 _Unfortunately for them, about eight minutes later, their 'fun' was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Hate to ruin your cuddle party, but it's time for dinner."_

 _Both of the young adolescents looked up to see Aina hovering over them. They both got up and the older lioness waited for Muuaji to get ahead before looking back at her daughter. She gave her a wink and Nyota felt her face heat up. She couldn't blush, but her pinned ears sure gave her away._

 _When they reached Pride Rock, they entered the den, took their usual, and ate the dead antelope along with the others. Nyota looked across from her and met Kiara's eyes. Her friend wiggled her eyebrows and the hair-tufted female glared. Gem wore the same look Nyota did, only she was giving it to Muuaji, who either didn't notice it, or was ignoring her. Ever since he, his father, and two other of the Green Mountain Pride members came, she got a bad vibe from them. Nyota didn't understand Gem's new behavior. The newcomers showed nothing but kindness to everyone. But still, Gem always eyed them suspiciously when they were around._

" _I noticed you and Muuaji have gotten really close lately," Anga whispered to her lioness friend. Even though everyone else was having their own conversations, she still spoke quietly._

" _I guess you could say that. Do you know what Gem's deal with him is?"_

 _The leopard shrugged. "Maybe….it's his name." What she said sounded kind of muffled since she was chewing on a huge chunk of rib meat._

" _As far as I or anybody in this pride knows, he hasn't murdered anyone."_

" _Yet." Nyota rolled her eyes. "Who knows? Maybe his mother was a little, um, cuckoo upstairs. Or, his parents accidentally mixed it up with Muasi?"_

" _He's not repulsive and he does obey commands."_

" _Okay, um, Muulizaji?"_

" _He doesn't ask that many questions."_

" _Muafaka? Nevermind. I don't think he's inappropriate."_ The name doesn't even sound appropriate, _Muuaji told himself._

 _Nyota sighed, cleaned off a bone, and looked at her friend. "Are you done now?" Anga nodded. "Thank you. I feel like you and Gem switched personalities."_

" _Perhaps we did." The leopardess giggled._

 _The other female looked around to see if anyone saw what was going on. She caught Muuaji's eye and he winked at her. She felt her face start to burn up, but quickly turned back to Anga. "I think you should go and lay down. You don't look too good."_

" _I think you should lay down with Muuaji," Anga said in a mocking voice. Were they not aware that Muuaji could here just about_ everything _they were saying? "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just bothering you on purpose."_

 _Nyota glared at her then gave her a weird look. "Boy. You and Gem really did switch personalities."_

 _Sky, the meaning of the leopard's name, chuckled and looked over her friend's shoulder. "Your boyfriend's coming. I'm gonna leave you two alone."_

 _Not long after she left, her spot next to Nyota was taken. The lioness turned to face Muuaji. He grinned at her. "What's so bad about lying down together?"_

" _Well, I guess it depends….I'm tired, so I'm not really in the mood to complain or argue. I'm only going to sleep cuddled up next to you. So, don't get your hopes up._

 _The lion gave her a nuzzle. "I won't. Besides, Gem will murder me in a second if I do."_

 _~o0o~_

 _Muuaji looked at the lioness that had her head between his paws closely._ She would make a fine queen _, he decided. But how to break down his father's plan to her….he had three more days to figure that out. At this moment, he didn't want to force her. If that was the only option….well, that's just what'll have to happen._

 _He looked in the corner and saw a pair of glowing orange eyes glaring at him. He winked at Gem. She snarled at him and watched his every move. Muuaji nuzzled and licked Nyota's ear. She moved closer to him and purred. He did the same thing, his eyes not leaving Gem._ I am going to _murder_ you, _she mouth. Muuaji smirked, rested his head on Nyota's and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day._

* * *

 **So, uh. I** **hated** **the previous seventeenth chapter and this is my fourth re-write for it. I decided to combine this chapter with the memory from chapter 18. Let me know what you think and if I should change it back for those of you who read them already, or if you like this one better. I also want to thank all of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! Means a lot. Love you guys**


	18. Chapter XVIII

**Chapter XVIII**

"It's been _a week and a half_. Shouldn't she be over it by now?" Moyo asked as he and the others sat under the shade of Pride Rock.

"She _did_ say she ran into Muuaji. He must've said something to Nyota that bothered her a lot. They _were_ kinda close and he knows her pretty well," Gem explained.

"Well, it seems to be bothering her more than anything. But knowing her, she usually talks about things like that. She doesn't really spend a whole bunch of time alone. And she _especially_ doesn't yell at _everyone_ that tries to talk to her," Kovu said.

"If you're so worried, go check on her."

"I can't. She left the den before anyone woke up, remember? I don't know where she went. Well, now that I think about it, she's been doing that a lot now."

Moyo sighed. "I haven't been here very long, but she doesn't seem like the type that wakes up early. I don't think that amount of time alone and anger is healthy." They all agreed. The lioness had been acting strange lately. Ever since that night with Muuaji, she hasn't been the same. Nyota seemed so distracted and far away. They all wondered what Muuaji had said to her, or if something else happened while he was with their friend.

After a long moment of silence, Kovu cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go look for her," he said and started walking away from Pride Rock.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Gem called out. The lion ignored the comment and kept walking.

* * *

Nyota brought her head down and took a long drink from the water hole, hoping the foul taste that still lingered from that morning would go away. About two days after incident with Muuaji, she'd gone to see the old shaman and was shocked when she found out that the lion had gotten what he wanted after all. Ever since then, she'd been trying to keep away from everyone and stay quiet, especially Kovu. But, that was hard to do since he always tried to get closer to her now. No one knew she was with child, and she wanted to keep it that way. But she knew the truth was going to come out one way or another. If she didn't tell them soon, they would find out in time. Nyota began pacing back and forth as she racked her brain for a solution on what she should do.

 _Well, there is always the option of leaving the Pride,_ she thought to herself. _Gah, no stupid! Where would I go? The closest Pride is Ni's and I'm pretty sure they'll give word to the king about me. You still have a battle to fight….But, what if they find ou-No! I won't let them. I can't….what'll happen if they do?_

Nyota's pacing stilled as another thought came to mind. _When the cub is born….what am I going to do? I can't just abandon it….I don't want to turn out like Kikatili. If I decide to keep it, would I even be a good mother? Would I even know what to do? And….what would the other's think about the choice I make? Gods, an-_

"Nyota!" The lioness practically jumped ten feet in the air at the sound of her name. She turned around to find Kovu, the last person she wanted to see besides Muuaji, running towards her. Her heart began to beat faster and faster with every step he took and she found herself starting to hyperventilate. Before she could decide to go anywhere, she found herself staring into his verdant orbs.

"I-Kovu, I can't really talk r-"

"When will you, Nyota? You've been avoiding pretty much the whole Pride for almost _two_ weeks. _When_ will you have the time to talk?"

"I'll talk when I _feel_ like it," Nyota snapped.

Kovu chuckled bitterly. "Oh, so you just don't 'feel' like talking? Why is that? Does it have something to do with what Muuaji-"

"That is _none_ of _your_ concern!" she shouted, surprising Kovu.

"It kind of is my concern if you keep lashing out at me more than everyone else! Did I do something?"

Nyota shook her head, "No, you didn't. I just don't want to talk about it with you," Nyota tried moving past him, but he got in her way, just like the other day….

" _Why_ , Nyota? I don't understand. _What_ and _why_ can you not talk to me about it?"

The lioness hesitated and looked away. "I….I just can't…"

Kovu put his paw under her chin and made her look at him. " _Yes_ , you can. Nyota, you know I love you, which is why I need to know what's wrong. It pains me to see you like this."

Nyota's blue eyes got lost in his pleading ones before she brought herself back to reality. "I love you, too, Kovu. But….we _can't_ be together right now." Her voice cracked and she forced back tears.

"Why not?"

She looked away. "Look, it's not you….i-it's me…."

Kovu's eyes widened. "Come on, Nyota. That is so _cliche_. Please don't give me that crap. What's going on?"

Nyota just about lost it and snarled at the lion. " _Nothing_ is going on! Can you not _get_ that I want to be alone! I need to think and get everything out of my head! I'm just under a _lot_ of stress and _you_ are making this harder than it needs to be."

" _I'm_ making this hard? _You're_ the one being difficult and I'm just trying to _help_ you! And I'm pretty sure you've gotten _plenty_ of time to think about whatever the hell is putting you 'under a _lot_ of stress'. You can't just push everyone, _me_ away like that!"

"I _can_ and I _will._ You can't and won't stop me from doing that!" The lioness yelled, walking past Kovu.

Zira's son wasn't going to let her get away this time. At least, not until he got an explanation for all of this. He caught up to her and said, "Tell me what the problem is, Nyota, please. I _need_ to know."

A low growl rumbled in Nyota's throat. " _Leave me alone, Kovu."_

"No. I'm not going to leave you until I get _something out_ of you."

Aina's daughter froze at her friend's words. It sounded similar to what Muuaji had whispered to her when he was 'working on his new project'. Nyota extended her claws, whipped around and slashed at Kovu. Luckily for him, he dodged the attack pretty quickly. He looked at the lioness in anger and shock. "The hell, Nyota?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

" _Get_ away from me!"

"Nyota….what's going on?" Kovu asked in a worried tone, walking towards her.

She clawed at him again weakly and missed. "Please….get away," she whispered, backing away. She shut her eyes and winced. Her head was _killing_ her. Nyota breathed deeply and spread her eyelids apart. She was lying on the ground. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Kovu had said something, but she didn't hear. "What?"

"I said I'm taking you to see Rafiki," Kovu repeated and walked closer.

The lioness sat up quickly. "No. No, I'm fine."

"You're _not_ fine. Nyota, you _have_ to let me help you."

"I said I'm _fine_ , Kovu. But, please, just….just leave me alone." She started walking away, and the lion considered letting her go for a second.

Before she could go any further, he ran in front of her. "Kovu…."

"I'm going to leave you alone, but answer this one question: Did he _do_ something to you? Did he say anything at all, or did he _do_ something?"

Nyota looked at the ground. "That's two questions, Kovu."

" _Nyota. Please._ If that bastard of a lion hurt you in any way, I _need_ to know." He placed his paw on hers.

The lioness looked up at him and gave him a tight smile. "He didn't do anything but pay me a visit." She pulled her paw back, and walked away. Kovu let her go this time without a fight.

* * *

"Sire!" The vulture flew up to the lion and got his attention.

Askari's son stopped walking and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "What is it, Jiwe?"

"I have wonderful news! You sure are going to love this."

Muuaji sighed. "Spill it."

"Your mate, Nyota, is to give birth to a child in four months!" Jiwe told the prince.

Muuaji smirked. "Why, that really is wonderful news, Jiwe. Thank you. I'll give word to the others. Oh, and, has she told anyone yet?"

Jiwe shook is bald head. "No, sire. Though, one lion tried to get her to tell him why she spending so much time away from the Pride. Former Outlander, I believe."

Muuaji wrinkled his nose. "Kovu. Hm, as long as no one gets too close to her, she should be fine. I'm pretty sure we'll see her on the battlefield soon. Go keep an eye on her while longer. I have more plans to make." The vulture bowed at his future king, and flew to the Pridelands.

The lion started walking to the termite mound, where he found the Outsiders, he called them Outlanders, feasting on the nest zebra they've had in weeks. He made his way over to Zira, Vitani, and Askari, who had their own zebra to share, thanks to his pride. "Well, you sure look happy," his father said while chewing on a leg.

"That I am. Great news: Nyota's pregnant."

Zira grinned. "So everything's going according to plan, I assume?"

Muaaji nodded. "She's keeping everyone away. Especially Kovu."

"Perfect." Vitani didn't say anything. She knew what they were doing was wrong, but they were too far in for her to stop all of this. She'd get herself killed for trying. She just hoped her mother would fail.


	19. Chapter XIX- Secrets Revealed (Pt 1)

**Chapter XIX**

 **(Nyota's P.O.V.)**

Ugh. I just _hate_ Morning Sickness. It loves attention. It apparently expects a warm welcome: 'Why, hello there, Morning Sickness. You're lookin' as fine as ever. What's that now?...Oh, you're staying for the next four and a half months, you say? Oh, how wonderful!' _Please._ When this cub is born, the first thing I'm gonna do is _murder Muuaji._

I looked around and saw that no one was awake yet. I rushed out of the den to say goodbye to my 'New companion' for the day, and wanted to get back as soon as possible. I didn't sleep well the night before since it was hard finding a comfortable position to sleep in. I found a lovely bush and decided to use that to let out my dinner. I had been pregnant a little over two weeks at the time and had realized I was starting to show a bit. That wasn't a good sign. When I finished vomiting my guts out, I began walking towards the water hole, same routine every morining, when I heard a branch snap behind me. I jumped and whirled around to find Gem staring at me with wide eyes. "Nyota….what happened?"

She approached me and I backed away. "N-nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? Is this what you've been doing for the past two weeks?" The girl knew me too well to ask. I couldn't lie to her….but I lied to Kovu.

"No…."

"You're lying." _Shit._ She didn't even ask if I was. She just knew.

"Please. Like you haven't lied before about something serious," I said a bit angry, but I felt like crying.

Gem rolled her orange orbs. By the look in his eyes, I knew she knew what was wrong with me. But, she's the one that needed to say it, so I would lie. "Th-that was different. But, be honest with me….are you pregnant?"

Here comes the lie..."No. Why on earth would I be? I haven't had s-"

"You're a good liar, Nyota, but you can't tell be a single fib because you know I won't believe you. Who's cub is it?"

"For the gods' sake, Gem, I'm _not_ pregnant," I growled. I had a weird sense of déjà vu. I didn't to let what happened the other day with Kovu repeat.

" _Who's. Cub. Is it?"_ The lioness asked again. She didn't look too happy. "Is it Kovu's?"

My eyes widened. "No! I-it's not his."

After a moment, a look of realization crossed her face. "So you did lie to me? And to everyone else about what happened when Muuaji came to you. I thought you hated that-"

"I _do_ hate him!"

"Then why did you have _do it_ with _him?!_ That's sick, Nyota. What happened?!" Gem shouted. She clearly didn't understand that much.

My face felt like it was on fire. "It's Muuaji! What do you think happened. I didn't do anything _with_ him. He did it _to_ me! He _forced_ me. I fought and cried for help, but _no one_ came!" My eyes stung. I admit, I needed to get all of that out, but it hurt. Next thing I knew, I was in my friend's arms, crying my eyes out. She was the first animal that found out about my cub, so we talked a bit longer.

"Now, that I know, I think I can see it."

I frowned. "What?"

Gem chuckled. "You've gained some weight. At first, I thought it was because you were eating too much."

"It's not funny."

"Sorry. Um, are you….planning on telling anyone else?"

"Um, I wanted to tell Kovu, but I just couldn't. It's hard. I love him, and I don't want to hurt him."

"Nyota, he loves you too. You say you don't want to hurt him, but that's exactly what you're doing by pushing him away. You _need_ to to tell _him_ if you're not planning on telling anyone else yet. He can protect you more than me at this point if Muuaji decides to comes around again."

I sighed. "I don't know how to tell him."

"Well, first off," Gem started, " _don't_ get a temper or too emotional."

"I'm pregnant, Gem. For all we know, I could end up acting like Rafiki, then start crying for no reason."

"Funny." Gem rolled her eyes, then got real serious real quick, "What are you going to do when the cub is born?"

* * *

 **(Third Person)**

"Where're you going, 'Tani?"

She turned around to see Jabari, one of the lions from Askari's Pride, and growled at him. "Why do you care where I'm going?"

"I'm just making sure you're not seeing any other males besides me." He winked at her.

Vitani sniffed. "In your dreams." She turned around and began walking towards the Pridelands. Jabari knew better than to bother her any more. Or get too close. Zira made sure she was completely off limits to the lions from the Green Mountain Pride.

The Outsider was going to pay her younger brother a visit and inform him about what was going on. _I might as well tell him about what Muuaji did to Nyota, and about the girl's pregnancy. Knowing her, she most likely didn't tell him,_ Vitani thought to herself. She was a bit nervous about what Kovu's reaction would be. One thing's for sure, you _never_ mess with the ones he loves. She remembered two years ago when a rogue beat the crap out of her. When Zira's youngest child found out, boy was he furious. That lioness barely made it out of the Outlands alive when he dealt with her. But, what Muuaji did was different. Vitani knew what Kovu was capable of, but Askari's son did not. He'd most likely be dead in under a second if he ever showed his face in the Pridelands again. Then again, none of the Outsiders knew what _he_ was capable of. His name literally _means_ murderer, and no doubt that wasn't a mistake.

Vitani spotted Kovu stretching at the water hole. She checked her surroundings, making sure there weren't any other Pridelanders around. She brought herself lower to the ground and started creeping her way towards her brother. Before got ready to pounce, Kovu beat her to it. " _What_ are you _doing here,_ Vitani?" He growled once he pinned his sister to the ground.

"Looks like being in the Pridelands wasn't a bad thing after all. Your skills have improved." Vitani smirked.

" _What are you doing here?"_ The lion repeated.

"I'd tell you if you'd let me up." Kovu hesitated, but let go of his sister. "Thank you. Now, i came to warn you about Zira. You've heard about Muuaji, right?"

"Of course, plenty of times. What about him?"

"His Pride is helping Zira's. Things in the Outlands aren't so great. The males from the other Pride are using some of our lionesses as breeding toys," she made a look of disgust. "Zira and I made it clear that I'm completely off limits."

Kovu sniffed. "How many?"

Vitani frowned. "How many what?"

"How many lionesses are with child?"

"Four. Two with twins. And," she thought for a moment, then made a decision, "nevermind."

"Nevermind what?" Kovu asked impatiently.

Vitani shook her head. "It's not my place to tell you. I have to go back before they realize I went here."

She started to walk away "W-wait! What aren't you telling me?"

The lioness sighed and turned around to face her brother. "Nyota….that night Muuaji was with her….did she tell you about that?"

Kovu nodded. His heart started to beat quickly. "Yeah. What about it?"

"She needs to learn to be more open with you…."

"What aren't you telling me?!"

Vitani took a deep breath and spoke, "She-she's pregnant, Kovu. With Muuaji's cub."

Kovu's eyes widened. "You're lying. _Please_ tell me you're lying…."

"He….raped her. I'm sorry, but it's true."

A low growl rumbled in his throat and he flexed his claws. "You're not going back there. You have a lot more to explain, and Zira will have you dead if she finds out. I'll talk to the king-"

"You're not an official member. Besides, it's me. She won't find out."

Kovu hesitated. "No. You have to stay. It's not safe. You're staying!"

"Alright, jeez, chill," Vitani said. She was starting to regret telling Kovu anything.

The male Outsider started to pace back and forth. "How do you expect me to calm down?! You just told me my- Nyota was _raped_ by her fucking ex! Gods, he's going to _die!"_

Vitani tried to calm her brother down when a familiar voice caught them by surprise. "Kovu!" They both turned around to see the hair tufted lioness running towards them….sorta. Her eyes widened when she saw Vitani. "What are y-"

"I'm here to help. But, enough about me. You and Kovu need to talk," Vitani said.

Nyota looked at Kovu, then at Vitani. When she turned back to her friend, she noticed him looking at her carefully. He breathed deeply when his eyes landed on her stomach. "Kovu….I can explain."

* * *

 **Finally! Another chapter! I hope you guys liked it. Tell me if it was okay. Constructive criticism! LOVE YOU :)**


	20. Chapter XX

**Hey! So, last chapter was something, huh? I'm going to be answering reviews up in the first author's note from now on, both guest reviews and those who have an account :)**

 **Reviews:**

 **Wolfgirl819: Thanks! Similar names we have, you and I, evidently. XD**

 **Chapter XX**

"Damn _right_ you need to explain! I want you to tell me _why_ you didn't let me know he did this to you! Did you even think at all when you find out you were pregnant?" Kovu was enraged. He hadn't expected this to happen to Nyota of all people. Though, the lion did now notice that Nyota had missed many of the training sessions two days after that night with Muuaji. He assumed it partially had to do with the fact that she was very skilled and didn't really need to keep training. Turns out Kovu was wrong. "I know how stubborn you can be, but really, Nyota?!"

"I'm sorry, but did you _seriously_ expect me to think straight when Rafiki informed me that I'm carrying Muuaji's cub?" The lioness asked angrily.

Kovu barely paid any mind to her question. "You should've at least told me the day after instead of waiting two whole weeks to tell me-no, my _sister_ of all people had to tell me! What, were you planning on telling me, or anyone else for that matter, when it was _so_ noticeable it'd be hard not to ask? Or were you going to run away, come back when the cub's born, and _then_ explain everything?!" His voice got louder with every word he said.

"I wasn't planning on going _anywhere._ The battle's in four days and I have to fight. Why on earth would I leave the Pride at times like this?"

He laughed bitterly. "I can't believe you actually _think_ you're going out there now that I know you're pregnant. Especially if Muuaji's going to be on the opposing team! You're staying at Pride Rock along with whomever else is staying. And I swear, once I see that bastard on the battlefield-"

"Those are the two exact reasons why I didn't tell you. I have three in total."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm _not_ going to let you put _yourself_ and your _unborn_ _cub_ in danger! I only listed _one_ reason.

Nyota let out a heavy breath. "See? _This_ is it right here."

Kovu frowned. "What?"

"The way you react to things like this: You get angry, extremely violent, and you _yell_ almost nonstop. It-it _scares_ me, Kovu," she answered in a shaky voice.

The lion was a shocked by her words. Things like that didn't really bother Nyota any more and he knew that. But after finding out what Muuaji did to her, he also should've known that she'd be a bit more….sensitive to certain things. He walked over to her and embraced her after calming down. He felt her become tense in his arms. "Nyota, you know I'll _never_ do anything to harm you." It was one of those statement questions. There was no answer. "Nyota…."

"No, I know, I know. I was just thinking…" she looked at Vitani, who had been sitting quietly throughout their small argument, "I've noticed how easily Outsiders come and go from the Pridelands, why is that?"

"That is classified at the moment," Vitani answered.

"I thought you were here to help."

"I am. I just need to speak to your king first…. _then_ I'll explain everything."

Nyota sighed. "Okay. Then let's introduce you to the king."

* * *

"We can't trust _her._ She's one of _them,_ for the gods' sake!" Walinzi argued. "She could easily turn on us."

Vitani cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me, but my brother has been here a little over a month and he hasn't betrayed you guys at all."

Simba sighed. "She has a point, Walinzi."

"Yeah, that doesn't mean she's any different from the rest of the Outsiders," the other lioness said.

Vitani sniffed. "If I were _just_ like them, you can best believe both Kovu and nyota would be dead at the moment-no. Just Kovu."

The king frowned. "' _Just_ Kovu'?"

"Uh, Nyota'll explain that later on. I'm sure."

A low growl came from some somewhere in the den. "Way to keep your mouth _shut_ , _Vit."_

Kovu's sister shifted uncomfortably, while glaring at Nyota. Kopa had come up with that one. Of course, she didn't mind if anyone else called her by the nickname he used, but that was back when the prince was still alive. " _Vitani?!"_

The Outsider looked over her shoulder and saw a strange lion standing at the entrance of the den. There was something about him that made him seem awfully familiar. Sure he looked a bit like Simba, but that wasn't it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the king and queen shaking their heads rapidly at the lion, their orbs wide. Something strange was going on here, she just knew it. The male cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry. I, uh, knew someone with that name once. So, what's going on here?" He walked inside and sat next to Nyota, who moved closer to Kovu.

"It's a long story, but I'm considering letting Vitani stay in the Pridelands, Moyo," Simba explained.

"Again, she could easily turn on us," Walinzi repeated.

" _Walinzi,"_ Nala warned. "We are very aware of that, especially with the battle so close. We don't trust her completely, which is why we decided that Moyo is going to be the one to watch her. Along with her brother."

"But, Moyo just got here-"

"Are you arguing with me?"

The younger lioness hesitated. "I- no. I was just saying…."

"I know Moyo is…. _new_ here, but we trust him." Nala and her mate looked at each other and seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes.

 _Okay, something is clearly off about this 'Moyo',_ Vitani thought to herself. "Um, he doesn't have to be my guard dog if he doesn't want to," she said.

"No, no, no. It's fine. I'm perfectly fine with that," Moyo answered a bit too quickly.

There was a low whistle. "Found yourself a girlfriend already, Moyo? That was fast."

Kovu turned around and glared at the lion. Vitani's 'guard dog' growled and bared his fangs. " _Shut up,_ Mto!" The name was pronounced 'Moe-tah', meaning river.

Mto yelped and the female Outsider snickered. "Hah, I'm liking this place already."

"So it's settled then," Simba returned to the subject. "You'll stay, as long as you don't do anything to betray us. If even the _slightest_ thing happens and you're out."

"Simba, that's a bit much," Nala said.

"I'm just being careful." The queen glared at her husband. He sighed. "Fine. You'll get a second chance if something goes wrong, but that's it. Moyo will watch your every move and will report any suspicious actions immediately."

Vitani raised an eyebrow and looked at the lion with the aqua colored orbs. "My _every_ move?"

"'Tani…." Kovu sounded a bit annoyed.

"Kidding. Well, this oughta be a blast." She smirked. Vitani couldn't wait to make new friends. And she especially was going to have fun figuring out what the deal with Moyo was.

* * *

 **Short chapter, I know, but the next one is going to be better. I'm planning on making it "Secrets Revealed Part 2". Tell me what you guys think about it. Also, I'm not sure if this story is far from done or what, but I've been working on it for a while now and it seems as if it were only yesterday things weren't as hard for these lovely lions. Also, this isn't my best chapter, so I apologize for that. Until the next chapter, my dears!**


	21. Chapter XXI- Secrets Revealed Pt 2

**Reviews:**

 **CandyCane21: Vitani is pretty damn awesome. She's in my top three favorites of The Lion King. You'll be hearing more from her. Yay! And you'll also be glad to hear that I considered your idea for Nyota's cub if you don't mind. I love it!**

 **Chihiro1088: DundunDUN! It's Moyo's turn I belive. Hope you're enjoying the story. Love the name, btw ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter XXI**

Vitani tossed and turned her second night with the Pridelanders. Not that it wasn't comfortable, it was _way_ better than being bitten by termites while she tried to sleep, she could tell you that. She was just worried. This guy, Moyo wasn't as nice as he seemed. He lashed out on here a lot when she tried to get to know him, that left her very confused. Another thing that worried her was that she knew Zira must've already found out she'd left the Outlands and most likely assumed Vitani stayed in the Pridelands. The lioness was afraid her mother would plan a surprise attack out of anger, but that wasn't going to happen since Askari was there. He'd stop her and fill her head with some common sense, and she needed _lots_ of it. Then again, there was always the possibility….no. Vitani needed to get her mind off of this.

She sat up and looked around to see if anyone else was still up. Her younger brother's girlfriend had been kind of awake. Yeah, her eyes were closed, but Vitani could tell she was having trouble falling asleep. She felt bad for her, but she also felt guilty. She could've tried to stop the lion from hurting the poor girl.

Vitani sighed and made her towards to den entrance. Unfortunately, her path was blocked before she could make it out. "Where are you going?" Moyo growled quietly. She forgot about her guard dog.

The Outsider rolled her eyes. "I'm just gonna get a drink. It's not a big deal. Now move." Moyo got out of her way and let her walk past him. Seconds later, he trailed behind her. Vitani froze, whipped around, and snarled. " _Stop_ following me."

"I don't want to follow you, but I have to."

"Um, I thought you said you were perfectly fine with watching my every move." She raised an eyebrow.

Moyo thought for a moment. He shook his head. "I don't have an ans- look, do you want to go to the water hole or not?"

"I was on my way-"

"Then start moving!" Vitani was a bit surprised at his outburst, but she kept walking. "You know, we could head back sooner if you sped up."

The lioness tried to keep it together. The last thing she wanted was to be exiled from the Pridelands for the second time. But this guy, Moyo, was making it difficult. Though, there was something about him that felt familiar. Vitani couldn't help but notice that he looked a bit like Kopa. She wanted to start asking him questions, but she felt like it wasn't her place to do so. She was still an Outsider, and Moyo seemed to be an important Pridelander by how he looks. He was pretty well built with well defined muscles; a couple of scars here and there; had a full, rich brown mane; and she had to admit, he was really handsome. Sadly, her curiosity took over. "So, do you do?"

Moyo blinked a couple of times before he realized she was talking to him. "Uh, what do you mean."

"I mean you're a Pridelander, so what's your job? Do you hunt, guard the borders?"

He hesitated. "I….I'm new here, so I just do the hunting with the lionesses."

Vitani frowned. She was really confused. "Wait, you're _not_ a Pridelander? But you smell _exactly_ like them."

"Well, yeah. I've been around them for a while."

"My little brother has been with them, too, and he still smells like an Outsider."

Moyo shook his head. "Look we're at the water hole. Drink up so we can head back. And it's really _none_ of your business." Vitani rolled her eyes and brought her head down. The clear liquid tasted _amazing! Way_ better than the little she had to share with the rest of her pride. It was only a minute later when she brought her head back up and grinned.

"That. Was _extremely_ refreshing. Gods."

Moyo smirked. "It's just water."

Vitani turned around. "Right, and you're just a stranger that smells _exactly_ like a Pridelander. Even more like royalty."

The lion's jaw dropped. "Well….I-I-"

"You're lying to me," Vitani noticed. "Why?"

"You're an Outsider. I don't….I don't trust you. Hell, I barely know you."

The lioness glared at him. "Again, the lies. Look, I know I'm not meant to be trustworthy because I'm one of _them,_ but please," she begged, "I _hate_ being lied to. My life has barely been filled with the truth."

Moyo sighed. "Vit….I'm sorry for being hard on you, but things are _very_ difficult right now-"

" _Don't_ call me that," she growled.

" _Vitani_ , just listen. I'm being harsh on you for a reason that I can't explain."

"That sounds like abuse."

The aqua eyed male started to get impatient. "It's not, gods. I'm not hurting you physically, am I?"

Vitani gave him a small pout. "You're hurting my feelings. My little heart feels like it's been clawed from my chest."

"I'm surprised you even have one," he muttered.

In this case, Vitani would've either picked a fight or would've said 'Excuse me?' But, the way he said it sounded like….well, like he wasn't saying it at all. Sorta like it was meant for no one. He said it just because. Vitani sat next to him. Moyo didn't move away. Instead, he got closer to her. She barely knew him, but she did. Or at least that's how she felt. She knew there was something too familiar about him. Was it the way he said that certain nickname? His looks? His voice? The way she got lost in his eyes when they weren't arguing about something stupid, and he got lost in hers? She didn't know, but she wanted to. She needed to. After a long silence, Vitani spoke up. "Do you….do you hate me for some reason?"

Moyo looked at her as if she was insane, his eyes wide. "No! Why on earth would I hate you?!"

"Well, you rarely talk to me, and when I try to talk to _you_ , you get mad and act like I did something bad to you. Did I?"

Moyo looked at her and sighed. "Did you what?" He was trying to stall the conversation.

Vitani didn't seem too keen about finding out because she needed to keep here cool, but she was. "Hurt you in any way? I couldn't have. At least, not that I remember. We only met two days ago-"

"You didn't do anything. _I_ hurt _you_."

The Outsider frowned. "Clearly, I'm not on the same page as you."

Moyo sank his claws into the grounder deeper than they already were, trying to fight the urge. But, his feelings got the best of him. He leaned in and gave the lioness a quick lick on the cheek. He immediately regretted it when she looked like she was about to assassinate him "What. The. _Hell?_ "

Moyo swallowed hard. "Vit, I'm _so_ sorry-"

The air was knocked out of him and he found himself with his back against the grass. "The hell you kiss me for?!"

He couldn't keep lying. Especially to her. "Vitani, it's _me._ "

"I can see that."

"No. Me as in Kopa- _agh_!"

She sank her claws into his shoulders and snarled. "Don't you _dare_ mention him. You don't know a _thing_ about him!"

The male used his strength to switch their positions and held her down. "Vit, it's _me. Kopa._ I wouldn't lie to you."

"You _just lied_ to me a whole bunch of times!"

"And I couldn't keep on doing that to you. Listen to me! Please." He looked into her eyes and she stopped struggling. "It's me, Vit. It's _really_ me. And I love you. I can't stand seeing that hurt look on your face."

She stared at him. "...Kopa?" He let her up in nodded. She breathed heavily. "No…. _no._ You're….he's _dead!_ I-I saw y- _him_! His bloodied body….the grin on Zira's face when I returned…." She shook her head and the lion walked towards her cautiously.

He pulled the Outsider closer and embraced her. "I'm here," he whispered, his voice cracked a bit. "I'm alive." He breathed in the familiar scent he'd missed for so long.

The prince let her sob into his mane. "Kopa," was the last thing she said before she broke down. They held each other tightly for as long as possible. Neither one wanting to let go.


	22. Chapter XXII

**Hiyeeee! It's been a while, hasn't it. School, man. This chapter took me a long time to plan out.**

 **Reviews:**

 **CandyCane21: Aw, thanks. I really wanted to get into their relationship. I can't believe it almost made you cry, lol.**

 **Chihiro1088: I really have no idea, lol. She can get pretty violent.**

 **Mia [Guest]: Thanks so much! Yeah, I think I found one KovuxOC story. It wasn't what I expected. It's a bit of an old fic, and not super great, kinda okay. And I might follow the movie. I was planning on having that "Love Will Find A Way", but that's Kiara and Kovu's thing. Even though it is a KxK thing, I might still do it but with a little twist.**

 **Guest [from chapter six]: Haha, wow. Thanks. Maybe they didn't know much about lions?**

 **Alright darlings, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter XXII**

 _Kopa pulled away and let his eyes explore his lover. After they had finished their meeting with the king her first day, she had groomed herself very well at the water hole. She seemed a little bit like a different lioness. Not so much like that cruel Outsider Zira had raised her to be and started acting more like her true self. But she still had that playful look in her eyes, and that same mischievous smirk she had when they were young. Just getting to actually_ look _at her made him smile. When he snapped back to reality, he realized Vitani had been talking. "What?"_

 _She frowned. "You weren't listening?"_

 _He blinked a couple of times and shook his head. "No, I wasn't. Sorry. I was distracted."_

 _Vitani looked around and raised an eyebrow at the prince when she faced him again. "Distracted….by….?"_

 _Kopa wasn't going to lie to her. "By you. You've changed so much in almost four years. Just…._ wow _."_

 _The lioness's face heated up and she chuckled. "Well, now that I know that it's really_ you, _I'm pretty impressed myself. You've changed a_ lot _. You have no idea how…._ happy _I am to know you're alive. Even more than that. It's hard to describe what I am feeling right now. I don't even know if there's even_ one _word to define that."_

 _Kopa grinned and licked her cheek. "Likewise. Don't worry, I know what you mean. Let's head back."_

 _Vitani's smile faded. "Well, I was thinking that maybe you and I could spend the night out here together."_

 _The prince raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly smirk. "Alone?"_

 _The blue-eyed Outsider rolled her eyes. "No, I was planning on waking Kovu up from his beauty sleep and ask him to tag along with us," she voiced sarcastically. "Of course alone. Nobody know that you're….well,_ you _. This could possibly be our only night together. Tomorrow is all about preparations and after that comes the battle. Anything can happen."_

 _Kopa nuzzled his lover. "Don't say that, Vit. Nothing will ever separate us again. No matter what, we'll always have each other. Now, how about that alone time?" Vitani smiled and began to walk away from the water hole, the lion she was with trailed behind. The lioness laid down on a soft patch of grass and she and her lover rubbed heads. The prince massaged the back of her ears with his muzzle and repeated that going down her neck, spine, until he reached her back end and did the same with her thigh. Before he continued, he spoke. "Vitani, are you sure?"_

 _Gods, she missed everything about him: his intoxicating scent, the warmth he produced when his body was against hers, his voice. Of course she wanted this. She probably wouldn't get another chance to do this with him. "Yes," she replied. "But, don't go too far. If you feel anything, just stop. I don't want to risk anything with this battle coming up." They both knew they were already risking everything at this point, but to them, it was worth it. When they were ready, they continued. Words were not spoken for the rest of the silent night. The two new mates showed their affection for one another as they got lost in a cloud of love and lust._

* * *

The memory of the previous night was forever burned into both Vitani and Kopa's minds. Neither could stop thinking about it. The prince had played the scene over and over in his head that it took him a while to realize his name was being called. Well, his _fake_ name anyway. " _Moyo!_ "

"What?" he snapped at Kovu, who was glaring daggers at him.

"What is up with you?"

'Moyo' frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Kovu rolled his eyes. "Dude, you've been staring at my sister all morning!"

"Am I not supposed to be keeping an eye on her with you?"

"No, you are. But not when you look at her like _that_ ," the green-eyed male said protectively. Moyo gave him a confused look. Kovu sighed. "Everytime you look at Vitani, you seem to be put under some kind of enchantment. You refuse to gander anywhere else. I hope you're not starting to develop feelings for her because, no offense, but you don't seem like her type."

Kopa choked as he tried to force back a laugh. He understood that Kovu was being a protective brother, but _this_? He began coughing to cover up the laugh that _was_ going to come. "What, sorry, no. I didn't mean for it to seem that way." He tried to change the subject quickly. The lion decided to go for the first—no— _second_ thing that popped into his mind that wasn't Vitani. "So, uh, where's Nyota. I thought she'd be here training with the lionesses."

Kovu's expression darkened immediately. "She went to see Rafiki."

Moyo frowned. "Why? Is she sick?"

The other male hesitated. "No….it's the whole battle and her ex-boyfriend thing. She's stressed, I guess." Kopa's eyebrows arched. "Actually, a couple of the other Pride members see him about this, too," Kovu added quickly.

"They go to see Rafiki about Nyota's….ex-boyfriend problems?"

"No, idiot. They talk about their stress for the upcoming battle. It's tomorrow."

"Really? I haven't seen many go to Rafiki today at all." They started to walk towards the rest of the group to continue practicing.

"Maybe you should stop making goo-goo eyes at my sister and explore the rest of the world."

Moyo groaned. "Again, it wasn't supposed to look like that!"

Kovu gave him a disbelieving look. "Uhuh. Right."

"Great Kings and Queens!"

~0~

"What'd he say?" Gem asked Nyota as they started to make their journey back to Pride Rock.

The hair-tufted lioness sighed. "Everything's fine. As far as I'm concerned, the cub's healthy. I just need to drink more water."

"Anything about the battle?"

"Just that I shouldn't go. But, you know me. I won't pass up the chance."

Gem gave her friend a serious look. "Don't go out there tomorrow, please. It could harm both you and your unborn cub."

"No one said I _can't_ go, just that I shouldn't. One is a suggestion, the other is pretty much an order."

The cream coloured lioness didn't want to push the subject. Changing Nyota's mind was an extremely difficult task. "Fine. Have you….thought about any names? Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Nyota was silent for a couple of seconds. "I really don't want to keep talking about the cub right now," she responded tiredly. She barely got any sleep the night before and the subject made her really uncomfortable.

"Well, you're going to have to at some point. _You're_ its mother and you're gonna have to decide what's best for your kid. Your life is going to be planned differently for about a year. Maybe a little less, but you're going to have to be there for your cub."

Aina's daughter hated this conversation. "Who said I'm keeping the cub?"

Gem looked at the lioness in shock. " _Nyota._ You _can't_ be serious."

Nyota squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Gods, this is difficult. I just want to get this over with. I want things to go back the way they were, you know, before all of this. Life was so simple."

"I know. I do too. But you can't change the past. You just have to keep moving forward and make the best of it."

Nyota let out a low whistle. "Wow, Gem. That was so inspiring. You know, you've changed a lot in such a short amount of time."

Gem chuckled. "So have you. I'll leave the cub subject alone….for now, that is."

"Thanks."

"So, how are things going with you and Kovu?"

Nyota thought for a moment. "Um….I guess it's okay. Things have been a bit difficult because of all this battle stuff, ya know? But, enough about my issues. I'm getting sick of that. Let's talk about you. We'll probably die tomorrow and I want to bond with you before we go back to training. Any luck with that lion you've been crushing on?"

"Tunaomba? Well, I actually had the courage to _actually_ talking to him instead of purposely bumping into him all the time."

Nyota laughed with a hint of felicity. "About time! How was it."

"Hmm….it was really kind of…." she paused to keep her friend in suspense.

"What?"

"Amazing! He's even finer looking when he's actually talking to me. His eyes are gorgeous! He's part of the guard and _loves_ kids. And, man, his voice….it was deep, so rich. Sent chills down my spine." Gem got lost in her own world just by thinking about that handsome lion. "He was so polite, gods, now I want to marry him as soon as possible!"

Nyota's eyebrows arched. "Whoa there, speedy. You have to take things slow. He sounds like a keeper, definitely your type, but you don't want to push him into that yet."

Gem rolled her eyes. "I know _that._ I'm just too happy. I hope things go perfectly…."

Nyota frowned. "What's wrong?"

" _Shhh."_ The lioness pointed towards the grass and crouched down.

"I don't-"

" _Be quiet!_ " Gem hissed. Just then, a blur of spots jumped at them and Gem raised her paw ready to strike. She roared but stopped immediately when she saw what had tried to scare them. Both of their hearts skipped a beat and were relieved at how close that was. "Oh my gods. You almost gave me a heart attack, kid," she told the yellow-eyed leopard cub.

The small cat grinned. "I did it, Ma!"

Gem and Nyota looked at each other in confusion. A familiar laughed made them jump. "Great one, Hazina." The leopardess emerged from the grass and smirked at the look the two lionesses wore on their faces.

"Anga?!"

* * *

"My daughter did _what?!_ " Zira was absolutely enraged!

The Pridelander winced at the Outsider's roar. "She told them everything. She….she betrayed you. And Moyo….is not who he says he is. I don't know what he said to Vitani, but it was enough for them to make love."

The red-eyed lioness growled. Her oldest son ran up to her excitedly. "So….this means I get to be king of the Pridelands _when_ we win, right?!" he asked with a crazed grin.

Zira sighed. "Yes, unfortunately, you will be king, Nuka."

"Yes! Whoo-hoo! Hear that suckers?" he yelled at the rest of the Outsiders. "Those of you who made fun of me will be exiled once I get my throne. You all shall answer to me!" They all muttered things and gave the lion vexed looks.

His mother rolled her eyes and turned her attention back Simba's traitor. "What about the other girl. There's no way she's fighting, correct?"

The younger lioness hesitated. "About that….we may need to come up with another plan, but-"

"Ushindi, we do _not_ have the time for this!"

Ushindi rolled her eyes. "You didn't let me finish. Mto, Aisha, Lila," she gestured to the other Pridelanders behind her, "and I have figured this out." They told the Outsiders and the visiting pride their plan. They came to an agreement.

Zira grinned. "Since the battle will be in the Pridelands, this will be perfect," she looked at her Outsiders. "You know what to do." They circled the four Pridelanders and attacked.


	23. Chapter XXIII

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. This was going to be the last chapter, but I decided to shorten it up. Thanks to DisneyAddictGirl for helping me edit and a whole bunch more! This is a long chapter. I'm on Spring Break so I may update soon.**

 **I was also planning on writing a VITANI x KOPA story when I finish with this one and catch up on others. Should I?**

 **Reviews:**

 **CandyLuv99: Yes. That's what they get! And Kitani! Whooooo! Yesss, one of my favourite LK ships of all time!**

 **Nalalicious: Definitely. Yeah, me too. I ship them too! I guess you'll have to read this chapter and wait for the next to find out.**

 **Lionessed: Aww! Thanks, love! Haha. Yes. Gotta love Zira's reaction. Yes, she did! I missed Anga honestly. You're welcome! It's pretty good. I hope so too :)**

 **Chihiro1088: I don't know. But trust me, in this chapter, maybe more than aggressive. Dun dun DUN!**

* * *

 **Chapter XXIII**

"You're just as _weak_ as you were years ago!" Zira growled as she stood over the highly exerted lion. A satisfied smirk made its way to her maw as she watched him struggle to rise on his paws, but he failed miserably. He was bruised and blood covered every inch of him. His pelt no longer had its beautiful golden glow, it was more russet with the crimson that tainted his fur. A metallic taste formed in the male's mouth. He spat the dark red liquid, looked up at Zira, and bared his fangs. The lioness unsheathed her knife like claws and walked closer to him. She pressed one paw against his neck, her claws digging in slightly. "When I'm done with you, the first thing I'm going to do is go after the one you love."

The lion's aqua-green orbs widened, and once again he struggled to get up. "S-stay _away from her_ ," he managed to say, before spitting out more blood.

"Aw, I can't promise you that. That little bitch betrayed me and she's going to get what she deserves once you're dead. Any last words, your majesty?"

He forced a grin. " _Burn_ in _Hell_ , Zira."

She snarled. "After you." Zira raised her paw, claws ready, to end the prince's life.

"Kopa!"

Before she could get the job done, the air was knocked out from her lungs as someone else collided with her, and next thing she knew she was making contact with the hard ground. She looked up and met a pair of unique dark blue eyes glaring at her.

Zira looked at the younger, gravid lioness in shock. " _Nyota?_ You're not supposed to be here."

* * *

 _The Pridelanders flexed their claws, getting ready for the battle that would soon begin. "You can turn back now, Zira, while I still allow it," the King said as he stepped a couple of feet forward._

 _Zira walked in front of the Outsiders and grinned. "Oh, Simba, I've waited so long for this moment. Why would I want to pass it up?" Her eyes explored Simba's team, looking for a certain lioness. Zira grinned when she was nowhere to be seen. "It looks like you're one strong lioness short, Simba? Tell, me, where is the little brat? Pride Rock, maybe? I'd love to finally get the chance to shred her to tiny bits." Low growls rumbled in the throats of three Pridelanders on the king's side, no doubt her youngest son, Kovu, was one of the three._

 _Nala snarled. "You know why she can't be here, Zira. We couldn't let the poor girl come out here and risk her own life along with her unborn cub's. Your fight right now is with us, not her or anyone else that stayed back. Now, this is your last chance: Back down_ now, _and no one will get hurt."_

 _A manic grin formed on the Outsider's face. "Oh, but my dear Nala, that's_ exactly _what I want."_

 _With that, the signal roar was given by the King, causing the Prides to become a blur in the Savannah dust as they attacked. Everyone new exactly who to go after. Zira would've chosen either her daughter or her youngest son, but she decided she'd deal with them_ when _she won the Pridelands. Those traitors were going to get it when this was over. But first, she had to finish what she started with the prince of the Pridelands, who was still very much alive, once she found him._

 _Oh, the fates must've been on her side because there he was, a couple of feet away from her, ending the life of one of the Outsiders. Yes, this was perfect. The first step to getting her revenge would be complete. With all of the different fights going on, she doubted anyone would come to his rescue. She charged, ready to attack him from the back, when a blur of golden-yellow tackled her. Both Zira and the young lioness rolled away from Kopa, milling through a fight between a leopardess and a Green Mountain male._

 _Zira suddenly found her wind pipe being closed off by a lioness's paw and was pinned down. She looked up to see amber eyes looking at her murderously. "Stay_ away _from my brother!"_

 _The Outsider snarled and used her back legs to push up against the other lioness's stomach throwing her, literally, head over heels. She held the princess down with as much force as possible when she tried to break free. Zira began to claw at Kiara's face before the princess released her forelegs from the Outsider's grip and scratched her face back. A huge gash opened up from Zira's forehead to her the middle of her nose, causing her to get off of Kiara. Vitani's mother roared in pain and smacked Kiara so hard she sent the lioness flying, making her hit the ground five feet away. Kiara gasped as the excruciating pain flared up her back to her neck. She could've_ sworn _she had heard, and felt, a bone break in her back leg after landing in a strange position. But, even with all of the injuries, she still managed stand up and get ready for another attack. Zira growled as they circled each other, Kiara limping and trying to hold back a scream of pain every time she took a step with her back leg._

" _You better think twice before picking a fight with me, child," Zira sneered._

 _The princess bared her teeth. "I don't have to think twice when it comes to protecting the ones I love. Especially from someone whose mind has been clouded with revenge and can hardly focus. Someone as insane as you are."_

" _I've had enough of you. You're in my way and it won't be hard to get rid of you." Kiara got into a crouched position as Zira ran at her. Before she could strike the princess, a strange lion knocked her paw down and roared in warning._

 _Zira growled. "You touch her one more time and I swear I will end your sorry life right where you stand," he growled quietly. He had chocolate brown fur, a spiky black mane, crystal blue eyes, was well built, and owned a very handsome face. But the look he gave her was deadly. She didn't recognize him at all, but no doubt he was part of Ni's pride._

" _I can . . . I can handle her, Zuberi," Kiara said between breaths, trying to ignore the pain in her leg._

" _Yeah? Looks like you've been handling her quite fantastically, Princess," he replied sarcastically, his eyes not leaving Zira for a moment._

 _Zira snarled. "Move, boy! This isn't your fight."_

 _The lion raised an eyebrow. "Boy? Just how old are you? Better not let your age show in your fighting."_

" _Oh, it won't, believe me. Now, step_ aside _."_

 _Zuberi stood in front of Kiara protectively. "I'm not moving."_

 _The Outsider flexed her claws getting ready to attack, but relaxed as she took a quick glance over the male's shoulder. She grinned. "Have it your way, but you're going to have to move soon," she said in a much calmer tone._

 _Zuberi frowned at Zira's sudden change in behavior. "Wh-"_

" _ZUBERI!" He quickly turned around with wide eyes to see Kiara under attack by two lionesses. One had jumped on her and was clawing at her back. The other had her jaws tight around the princess's tail, holding her down. The lion didn't even bother to yell her name or turn back to the Outsider and curse at her. He wasted no time coming to the rescue, completely forgetting about Zira._

 _The older lioness smirked. She snuck away and looked for the prince. No one was going to get in her way this time. And there he was again, in the center of it all, looking for someone that was going to be a challenge. Then, his eyes met Zira's and they both glared at each other for what seemed like forever, but it was only a couple of seconds. Gods, it was like the boy was just_ destined _to_ die _. Zira snarled, challenging the lion. Without a second thought, Kopa ran at her full speed, exactly what she wanted him to do. As he raised his paw to claw at her, she dodged him and delivered a powerful blow to his head. She jumped on him, bit down on his ear, and sank her claws into his back. The prince shook around and tried to claw at her, trying to throw Zira off. The Outsider held on more and whipped her head back, taking a small chunk of his ear off. The lion howled in pain, grabbed her paw, and brought her down. Zira growled and attacked again. They clawed at each other's faces, trying to bring the other down and end this once and for all. Zira had to admit, Kopa was a lot stronger than her, but she was smarter. She let him run towards her rather than she charging at him for a reason. The ground they were fighting on was littered with huge rocks with jagged and pointed edges. Large and sharp enough to impale him and, hopefully, end his life._

" _I must ask, Kopa, how are you still alive after the beating I gave you years ago? So many have died after I had dealt with them, but few have survived," Zira said, slowly walking closer to him, making the lion step backwards, just like she wanted him to._

 _Kopa smirked. "I'm stronger than you think I am, Zira."_

 _The lioness chuckled. "That you are, dearie, but..." she glanced at the sharp rock behind him, "I'm a lot smarter."_

 _Kopa crouched into a pouncing position as Zira leaped at him. He jumped and was surprised when Zira used just about all of her force to push him backwards. He let out a deafening roar of pain as he felt something slice through the side of his stomach and blood began to pour out. "AGH! You mother-" Zira cut him off by delivering powerful blows to his head again and again. She then began clawing him all over his body and pushed him down whenever he tried to get up._

" _Stay still and this won't take so long!" Zira growled, but Kopa only had enough strength to push her back with whatever force he had left. The lioness was a bit surprised when she felt herself stumble back a couple of steps. But, then she saw that he could hardly fight anymore and growled, "You're just as_ weak _as you were years ago!" . . ._

* * *

"N-Nyota _don't_ ," Kopa said weakly, "I don't want you to get hurt trying to help me."

Nyota couldn't look at him. Besides being angry at him for staying hidden for so long, she couldn't bare to see him on the edge of death. The lioness kept her eyes on Zira instead as she replied to him. "No. No one's taking anything important in my life away again. Especially not _her_."

Zira stood up from the ground and grinned at the young lioness. "Oh, no, dear. Listen to him. Get out of the way and I'll put him out of his misery. You wouldn't really risk your life _and_ the life of your _unborn cub_ for him now . . . would you?"

Nyota's defensive stance faltered a bit. She breathed deeply before responding. " _My_ life, yes, for _anyone_ that I care for. But, I'm not battling you alone, Zira."

Behind the blue-eyed lioness, Zira saw her daughter nuzzling her lover. When she brought her head up to see her mother, her eyes were full of _so much_ hate it could've pulverized Zira. Vitani walked over to Nyota and stood next to her. "I'm _not_ going to let you take him away from me a second time," she growled and she and Nyota began to circle Zira.

The Outsider showed no fear. Sure, she was outnumbered two to one, but she'd dealt with a lot worse during Scar's glorious Reign. "Then you'll just have to join him in his awful fate. I got rid of one interference today, I can get rid of two more." Both of the lionesses she'd hurt in some way snarled and unsheathed their insanely sharp claws. They watched Zira closely and she did the same thing back, though she had already decided to go after the weakest out of the two first but tried not to show it. Either way, the lionesses knew exactly what she was thinking and as she lunged at Nyota, going for her throat, the girl rolled out of the way and Vitani pounced on her mother. Zira thrashed around, trying to throw her daughter off, but Vitani was strong and held on tightly. Nyota slashed at Zira repeatedly, keeping her down as much as possible, though she was tiring out faster than usual. Without warning, Zira managed to push Nyota away and slam Vitani on the ground, catching her by surprise. She then clamped her jaws down on her daughter's throat maliciously and began to draw blood. Vitani's eyes went wide when she realized she couldn't take in any oxygen. Zira had promised herself she'd do _anything_ to get her revenge . . . even if it meant killing her own offspring. Before she could go on, she felt an intense pain on her shoulders and it slowly made its way down her back, ending a bit below the middle of her spine. The fierce burning of her new wounds was enough to make her let go of Vitani's gullet, whip around, and smack the lioness with her claws, but not as hard as she normally would due to her condition. Nyota only snarled at Zira and wiped the Outsider's blood off of her claws on the ground, but didn't attack.

"It was foolish of me to think that you'd actually stay and do as you're told. I should've gone to Pride Rock first to finish you off," the Outsider said.

"Oh, Zira, you wouldn't really _kill_ a young, pregnant lioness, would you?" Nyota's voice was filled with bitterness, "especially if she's carrying the cub that belongs to your ally."

Zira chuckled. "Please, dear, we both know you're _not_ keeping that child so it won't matter if either you or the cub dies tonight." The hair-tufted lioness only growled in response. "Well, you're not _denying_ it. I mean, who'd raise the cub of their rapist? You'd be disgusted and reminded of that horrid night _every time_ your eyes landed on the cub. You probably won't love your child anyway. Doesn't seem fair for the both of you, does it?" With every taunting word that escaped Zira's mouth, Nyota had to hold herself back from _killing_ that lioness.

Aina's daughter's claws flexed in and out as she tried to remain as calm as she possibly could, which wasn't very calm at all. "What would _you_ know about love?"

"Oh, more than you. I have three children, don't I?"

"That doesn't mean anything," Vitani managed to say, rubbing her neck, taking in as many breaths as possible. "You hardly _loved_ us. You always said that love is _weakness_. You used us to get what you wanted. I _never_ forgave myself for trusting you the day you supposedly killed Kopa. I wasn't going to make that same mistake again, trust me."

Zira turned around to face her daughter. "You're making another mistake by siding with the enemy."

" _You're_ my only enemy, Zira. I knew I made the right choice when I came to the Pridelands," Vitani snapped back. "I'm sure everyone else will soon realize that siding with you was a big mistake, too."

"You're already losing this battle and you don't even know it," Nyota told the older lioness.

Zira turned back to her and snarled. "How would you know that?"

Nyota smirked. "Well, both your daughter and youngest son have sided with us Pridelanders. It's only a matter of time before . . . " her eyes drifted to look past Zira's shoulder and what she saw was something she had hoped wouldn't happen that day. Her dark blue orbs slowly widened with fear and Vitani noticed this. The golden lioness turned her head in the direction Nyota's eyes were glued and saw her younger brother finishing off a Green Mountain male, Muuaji creeping up behind him. Zira saw that Nyota was distracted and leaped at her, but Vitani was faster. She jumped on her mother and pinned her down before she had the chance to lay a paw on the younger lioness.

"Nyota, go!" Vitani instructed, holding her mother down. "I've got her."

"But-"

" _Go!_ "

Nyota nodded and sprinted off to help Kovu. When she was only a couple of feet away, Muuaji and Zira's son were already parallel to one another, and began to circle each other. She could see their mouths moving, but couldn't hear a word due to the amount of volume the battle was giving. She kept running and soon found herself in between the two males, face to face with Muuaji. He gave her a devilish grin. "Nyota, I'm so glad you could make it." Neither Muuaji nor Kovu were surprised by the lioness's presence. Knowing her, she was going to show up at some point during the battle anyway.

" _Nyota_ , go back _now_ ," Kovu ordered. "You shouldn't be here. Get out of the way."

The lioness didn't dare turn her back on Askari's son but still replied to Kovu. " _Muuaji_ is _my_ battle, Kovu, and I'm _not_ going to pass up the chance to get rid of him. Do _not_ get in my way."

"Nyota, you could hardly escape him alone on _that_ night. How do you expect me to leave you here with _him_ to take him on not only alone, but also _pregnant_?"

"You should listen to your boyfriend, Nyota, he has a good point," Muuaji said with a sly smirk, "or don't, it's your choice really. But, just know, that once I kill him and Zira wins, I'm taking you to my pride."

The blue-eyed lioness growled at him. "I'm not going _anywhere_ with _you_."

Muuaji chuckled. "We'll see about that." Nyota roared and pounced on him, claws out. Kovu joined her in her fight, not paying any mind to what she had said already. He wasn't going to lose her to that bastard, or anyone else for that matter.

Muuaji was strong, but both Nyota and Kovu combined were more powerful. Of course, the lion wasn't going to back down even though he was outnumbered. They each fought mercilessly against their enemy, clawing, biting, and delivering paw swipes that were strong enough to break a man's neck, or worse. Because Nyota was smaller and thinner than Muuaji at the moment, she was more agile and was able to dodge some of his attacks a lot easier than Kovu. Unfortunately, the lioness was tiring out fast and needed the fight to end as soon as possible. Even though that little battle was supposed to be between him and Nyota, Muuaji was going after Zira's son the most, trying to get rid of him since he wasn't planning on killing Nyota. Both lions were about the same size, Muuaji slightly bigger and somewhat stronger than Kovu, but that just made it harder for either of them to take the other down since they were about the same size.

Then, without a warning, two more males from the Green Mountain Pride came out of nowhere and attacked Kovu, taking him away from their soon to be king. One was a bit bigger than Zira's son, and the other was a bit smaller, but their strength was no joke. Luckily, Anga came to his rescue. She was smaller than the males, but Kovu needed all the help he could get.

Muuaji, on the other paw, didn't need any help against Nyota. He knew she wasn't strong enough to fight another five minutes. The lioness didn't doubt that she had to get out of there as fast as possible or else she'd pay the price with her own life, along with her cub's. Before she could make a run for it, Muuaji jumped at the lioness and pinned her to the ground.

This didn't go unnoticed by Kovu, but it only infuriated him more as he was still busy fighting two males side by side with Anga. He knew he couldn't leave the leopardess facing two full grown lions alone. Vitani's younger brother saw the smug expression on Muuaji's face as he stood over Nyota, a little _too_ close for Kovu's comfort, and immediately wanted to rip Askari's son to shreds. But first, he had to finish off the other males if he was going to do that.

"You know, Nyota, you and I wouldn't have to be going through _this_ if you'd just agreed to go to my Pride two years ago," Muuaji told Aina's daughter as he held her down.

Nyota growled at him, which, sadly, was the only thing she could do besides snarl, talk, and _try_ to release herself from his grip. "After what you did, there was _no way_ I was going with you."

Muuaji brought his face closer to hers. "But think about all the _fun_ we could've had and the amount of _love_ we could've created," he purred in her ear, making Nyota's face heat up with anger. "Unfortunately, your dearly departed mother had to get in the way and ruin things for the both of us."

At the mention of Aina, Nyota roared in fury and flipped their positions, surprising Muuaji. "Don't you _dare_ bring my mother into this!"

The lion smirked. "I'm sorry, dear, but I've forgotten which mother of yours we were talking about. Was it the abusive one, or the dead one. No, wait, they're both dead. My bad. I meant to say the one I had to _murder_ to try to get you to come with me."

With all that chatter, one would've thought Muuaji had a death wish. The lioness wasn't going to take anymore of him. She wanted him _gone_. Nyota bared her fangs, sank her claws into the lion's skin, and brought her paws towards herself, ripping the male's flesh open from his shoulders until she ended below the middle of his stomach. Muuaji roared in pain. He wasn't expecting that. He'd expected her to bring her guard down and loosen her grip on him.

Nyota watched as the blood rushed out of Muuaji like a river, the pain in the male's eyes bringing a smirk of satisfaction to her face. Though, her smile wavered when he got up. She knew he was having trouble catching air, but he didn't show her any weakness. "Gods, Nyota. I didn't think you actually had it in you," he said with a grin, a trail of blood sliding down the side of his mouth, down his chin.

She growled. "A few weeks ago I wouldn't have either, but that was before you came and did the worst thing any male can do to a female. Go to hell, Muuaji! " She lunged at him and took him down, rolling away from Kovu and Anga. She began clawing and biting at the lion when they stopped and landed somewhere in the middle of the battle field. Muuaji did everything she did to him as they fought. But, his blood was spilling from his quickly, making him become weaker with each and every second that passed. Finally, the lion couldn't go on anymore and collapsed on the hot Savannah ground.


	24. Chapter XXIV

**Mafaniko: thanks! I'm glad you are!**

 **Candyluv99: Oh, there definitely is something going on between those two ;) Those are cute ship names! As for Nyota's cub, we shall see.**

* * *

 **XXIV**

Nyota stared at the lion's body in front of her. He lay perfectly still, blood pooling around him slowly. The lioness walked closer to him and lowered her head, listening carefully. She couldn't hear his heartbeat. After a second, she realised Muuaji was dead. She killed him. He couldn't hurt her or anyone else anymore.

She sighed with relief, blinking back tears as she realized just how exhausted she was. The battle was over. Almost. It would all end soon, she could tell. The only thing she couldn't make out was who was winning. An equal number of felines from both sides littered the dry ground, dead or dying. Nyota's heart ached when she saw the familiar faces of some of the fallen. One Pridelander in particular caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat. "No . . . ." she whimpered as ran over to her friend. The lioness lay still, like the rest of the bodies. The only thing that gave away she was still alive was her stomach's quick rising and falling. Nyota nudged her gently with her head. "Gem, please wake up."

The tawny female opened her eyes and looked at her friend. "Nyota, y-you're not supposed to be h-here—" she interrupted herself by coughing up blood.

Nyota lifted Gem's head so she could take air in easily. "I know. But, hey, it's me. I'm the most stubborn person you know. Besides Simba, of course." She and her friend chuckled halfheartedly.

"Why did you . . . you look _awful_ ," the lioness pointed out, noticing Nyota's current state.

Aina's daughter shrugged. "Yeah, I, uh, just finished fighting Muuaji. He's . . . he's dead."

Gem's eyes widened. "Y-you killed him? What are you going to tell . . . " she saw and understood the look her friend gave her, "oh. It-it's for the best, I suppose. You're making the right decision. S-sorry if I made you feel bad about-"

"It's fine. Please, don't waste your breath apologising, Gem."

They then sat in silence for the next couple of seconds, thinking about a lot of things. "He t-tried saving me," Gem whispered.

Nyota frowned. "Who?"

"Tunaomba." Her voice cracked when she said his name.

The blue-eyed lioness looked past her Gem. Only three feet away was the body of her best friend's crush. Nyota took in a shaky breath. "I'm so . . . it's going to be okay."

"He tried saving me and now he's dead . . . . He told me he loved me, Nyota. He chose _today_ of all days to tell me. I-I told him th-that I loved him, then th- _they attacked_ and-" she couldn't go on. She broke down, her breath quickened.

Nyota's eyes stung with tears. Not because Gem was crying too, but because she could feel her slipping away. She wished she could save her . . . somehow. "Y-you'll see him again. Maybe soon, or not soon. Maybe years from now. I mean-" she didn't want to believe that the person closest to her was dying in her arms.

"You're scared, Nyota. You ramble when you're afraid. Don't be."

"I-I'm sorry . . ."

"It doesn't h-hurt anymore, Nyota. It used to hurt really bad . . . but now I feel . . . nothing . . ." The hair tufted lioness couldn't bring herself to look at the massive wound on Gem's side. She knew her friend was beyond saving. "Let me go . . . please."

Nyota shook her head. "No. I don't want to."

Gem gave her a small smile. "You have to. I-I love you, Nyota."

"I love you too, Gem." Nyota returned the smile. She pressed her forehead against her friend's. Gem stopped breathing, her eyes closed, and her heart finished beating. The older lioness gently set Gem's tawny head down and cried. She cried so hard she could've thrown up, except her stomach was empty. Then, she let out a deafening roar, letting go of her anger, sadness, and pain. Her roar was soon followed by two familiar ones.

~0~

Vitani helped Kopa stand up. Zira had left them a while ago to find Simba, deciding he was a better opponent than her daughter. "You okay, Tani?" the prince asked, leaning against her some for support.

"Yes, perfectly fine," she lied. The truth was that the pain and fatigue were getting to her. She doubted she'd be able to help him stay up much longer.

"Are y-you _sure_ you're okay? Zira roughed you up pretty badly. You don't look like you're in good shape," he said weakly.

"Neither do you. Zira did you worse than she did me. For a moment, I thought you were gonna . . ." Vitani trailed off, looking at the vast land before her, and the bodies that littered it.

"It's okay. I'm still here. I've cheated death before remember? I'm not surprised I was able to do it again." They laughed lightly. Then, in the distance, they heard two awfully familiar roars. They looked at each other knowingly. The time had come. The battle was about to come to an end. They made their way over to the crowd of cats. Felines from both sides surrounded two lions, not even _trying_ to attack one another. In the middle, Zira and Simba were circling each other, teeth bared, neither one taking their eyes off the other.

"You can give up now, Zira. This is your last chance," the King said.

The female chuckled. "But, I've waited so long for this moment. Why would I want to pass it up?"

Simba growled. Zira was the first to attack. The two leaders fought furiously swiping, striking, and dodging one another. It was clear the King was using his strength while the lioness used strategy. Zira knew her smaller and slimmer body gave her an advantage seeing as it made her more agile. As the fight wore on, the two felines became a mess of tangled, tattered limbs. Roars from both of them filled the tense silence. Dust was beginning to pick up, and the crowd backed up slowly, giving them space. Vitani and Kopa exchanged looks. No one could doubt the King's power, he had no rival in all of the pridelands, but Zira was cunning, and she wasn't shy about fighting dirty. The roars suddenly became shrill cries. Someone was clearly gaining an upper hand, but the dust that was picking up made it difficult to tell who. One more shrill cry rang out, followed by an enraged roar. A body fell, and as the dust cleared away, the crowd was finally able to gaze at the victor.

The King's eyes searched the crowd, until they found the Queen. She marched towards him, her eyes never straying. They stood side by side, eyeing their allies and foes. Simba cleared his throat, and then spoke loud and clear. "Zira is dead. Any Outlanders willing to join my Pride, step forward now." He looked each of the deceased lioness's followers in the eye. A good number of the Outlanders came to his side, but just as many stayed back. "The rest of you will leave our Kingdom and find a new Pride. Or, you can go back to the Outlands. Once you leave the Pridelands, you are not to step foot here again. Else the consequences may be severe."

The remaining Outlanders glared hard Simba, but didn't argue. Not even Hatari, Zira's strongest and favourite lioness, snapped at the King. After a moment of hesitation, the lionesses turned around and began walking away. The Pridelanders, and whatever was left of Askari and Ni's Prides, made way for them, some holding back threats.

Hatari slowed down when she was close to a lion with a dark mane. He now had a scar down his left eye. "I really wish you hadn't betrayed us, Kovu. I was hoping we'd be mates." Zira's son bared his fangs. Hatari then looked at the lioness next to him and smirked. "Might want to lay off the wildebeest, Nyota. Looks like you're putting on some weight."

Nyota was too tired to argue. "Go catch up with your friends," she said sternly. What she really wanted to say was "I suggest you leave now, before I drag you out of the Pridelands, bring you back, and kill you myself."

Once the Outlanders were out of sight, Askari stepped forward. The old lion was all scratched up, but Simba wasn't surprised he survived. "Zira wasn't very specific about what would happen if we lost," the russett lion said, disappointed. "Do I owe you some sort of . . . payment?"

Nala spoke before her husband could. "No payment. But, you _will_ treat your lionesses properly. Let them roam around when they want, leave when they want, and have cubs when they please."

Askari chuckled bitterly. "I'm afraid I can't promise you that, Your Majesty. Takes away the fun."

Nala glared hard at him. Oh, she _really_ wanted to claw his eyes out. "Then you will step down."

"Excuse me? You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. You're going to step down _now_ and hand over the throne over to your next successor. It's not a request."

Askari growled lowly, earning one back from Simba. Muuaji's father sighed. " _Sefu."_ A lion emerged from the crowd. He looked almsot exactly like Askari, minus his eyes. They were chocolate brown. "The Pride is now yours."

Sefu nodded and looked at Nala. "I'll do anything to make my Kingdom better than it was before."

"Good," the Queen said. "We'll send someone to check up on your Pride every once in a while. If things are the same, or worse . . . well, let's hope you won't find out what happens."

"If you need any advice," Simba started, "we're always here."

Sefu thanked them and turned around. " _We're leaving,"_ he said to the males of his Pride, and they followed him out of the Kingdom.

Simba decided to call it a night. Everyone was clearly exhausted. They all headed to Pride Rock to be patched up and get some rest. The walk was quiet and tense. No one dared to say a word. The former Outlanders walked in front of the others, behind Nala and Simba, earning glares from the ones that trailed behind them. Finally, they reached Pride Rock.

Ni's Pride and the leopards were goin to stay a while until things got a bit better. Rafiki and some of the lionesses who stayed behind treated the wounded. Nyota walked over to he shaman anxiously and said, "Rafiki, I think . . . I think I lost th-the cub. I-I'm not sure, but something just doesn't feel right."

The baboon had her lay down and he examined her carefully. He frowned. "Everything seems to be alright." Nyota still had a worried look on her face. "You're just too stressed. Do not worry, your cub is fine."

The lioness sighed and stood up. "Thank you, Rafiki." She walked over to Kovu and Anga. The leopardess was talking to Zira's son while her adoptive daughter slept between her paws. Her mate was elsewhere, helping out. Nyota sat between them.

"I'm sorry about Gem," Kovu said.

"Don't apologise, please. How are you holding up with Zira's death?"

He shrugged. "I . . . I don't know, honestly. I guess I'm a bit shovked, but she had it coming to her."

"And Vitani?"

Kovu looked over at his sister, who was fast asleep next to the prince. After they came into the den, Rafiki had attended to Kopa right away, then the lioness. Once they were all good, they passed out quickly. "I'm not sure. I think she was more worried about keeping Kopa alive."

"What happened to Nuka?" Anga then asked.

"I'm not sure. I hope he's alive. I didn't see him during the battle at all."

"How're you feeling, Anga?" Nyota asked her friend.

"Scared, tired, and happy to be alive. We're staying here."

Nyota grinned. "Really? That's great!"

The leopardess nodded. "Yeah. I missed this place. I've actually been considering coming back for a while."

"I'm glad you're staying." Soon, everyone decided to go to sleep. The newcomers, Ni's Pride, and the leopards stayed in the spare dens, while the Pridelanders slept in the main cave.

Nyota cuddled up next to Kovu, more than happy they were together. "Hey, Nyota?" The male said minutes later, the lioness half asleep.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, Kovu."

* * *

 _(Four Months Later)_

Nyota's claws went in and out of the ground as she pushed for what felt like the millionth time. She wanted to scream, but she'd already done enough of that. "I'm starting to wish Muuaji was alive so I can kill him again!" She groaned as the contractions seemed to get worse.

"Just keep pushing, Nyota," Maisha said from behind her. "You're doing great."

Nyota shook her head. "I-I can't. I'm scared. It hurts so badly, gods!"

"It's okay, that's normal, but you _have_ to keep pushing if you want the cub to live."

Walinzi came in, balancing a bowl full of water on her head. Well, half full. She had spilled some on the way. "Is the cub out?" She asked as she lowered her head, slipping the bowl down her snout to the floor.

"Almost. I can see the head! Keep going." Minutes later, Nyota felt something moving against her tail. "It's a girl! You have a beautiful daughter, Nyota." Maisha then cleaned the cub and placed it between the lioness's paws.

"She's so beautiful," Walinzi breathed, looking down at the cub.

The girl was _so_ tiny and frail, Nyota was afraid she might break her. The cub had fur the same color as her father's and a nose like her mother's. Seconds later, she opened her crystal blue eyes and looked up at Nyota, who smiled a bit. "She is beautiful," the lioness said, "but I . . . I can't keep her?"

Walinzi and Maisha looked at her shocked. "Why not?" One of them asked.

"I'm not ready to be a mother, Maisha. I'm not prepared for this kind of responsibility at all." She sighed, glancing at the lionesses in front of her. "She's my daughter, I know, but she's also _his_. Every time I look at her, I think about that night and what Muuaji did to me. I-I can't have her growing up wondering why her mother can hardly lay eyes on her. It's not fair to her. I love her, a lot, of course I do, she's my child. But . . . I-I don't love her the way she deserves to be." Her voice broke and she only let a few tears escape.

"Nyota, think about this. Once you make up your mind, there's no going back," Maisha said.

"I've thought about it for months. This . . . this is my decision. I need to give her her best chance at a good life and that's not with me."

The other lioness nodded in understanding. Walinzi stepped forward. "I'll take her in, Nyota."

The two looked at her. They weren't expecting that. "A-are you sure?"

She nodded. They knew that Walinzi found out she was pregnant days before, but she had lost the cub that same week. "I'll take care of her, I promise."

Nyota knew she could trust Walinzi. Even though they weren't the closest of friends, they've known each other almost their whole lives. Nyota had seen her with cubs. She'd make an excellent mother. "I trust that you will, Walinzi." This hurt Nyota more than she could express. It was the hardest decision she ever had to make. She licked her cub's head and nuzzled her gently. "I love you so much," she whispered. Walinzi walked closer and Nyota spread her paws open for the lioness to take the cub. Walinzi carefully picked up her new daughter with her mouth and give Nyota a promising look. Before she walked out, the blue eyed lioness called out. "Wait!" She stopped and turned. "Will you . . . will you name her after my mother? Aina, I mean. For me, please?"

Walinzi nodded, then left the spare den. When she was out of sight, Nyota broke down completely, Maisha comforting her. "Hey, it's okay, you made the right choice. Your daughter is going to grow up happy and strong. When the time comes, you can tell her if you'd like."

"I-I will. I love her so much."

~0~

 _(Three Years Later)_

Nyota chuckled as she watched her son, Issa, play with Kopa's daughter and Anga's second born. It warmed her heart as memories of the good part of her childhood came to mind. She really missed playing Hide 'N' Seek. In the distance there was a roar. She called for the cubs. The teenage lionsses returned from their first hunt and it was dinner time. Everyone gathered in the den. Life had been good. The former Outlanders were cooperative and soon got used to the lifestyle in the Pridelands. Kiara was now Queen and married to Zuberi. They had a two year old son and another cub on the way.

Nyota sat next to Kovu and nuzzled him. "The girls did a pretty good job," she said as she stared at the wildebeest before them.

Kovu agreed. "Aina was the one who brought it down," he said after hesitating. The lioness's eyes quickly landed on the young lioness, who'd been staring at her. She grinned at Nyota, hope in her eyes. Nyota smiled and nodded, approvingly. She was impressed. Not even she could take that thing down on her first hunt. "She's just like her mother," Kovu whispered.

Nyota licked his cheek. "I know." Aina already knew exactly who Nyota was and that made her love her even more. But, Walinzi was her mother and she was proud of that. Everything was great. Life couldn't be more perfect.

* * *

 **Ahhhh! That was the final chapter! I tried hard with the ending. I really hoped you guys enjoyed. I can't believe it's over. *Wipes away tear* I really enjoyed writing this story. Thank you guys for reading, following, favoriting, anf reviewing this story. It really means a lot. Special thanks to DisneyAddictGirl for helping me whenever I got stuck. Especially in this chapter. I can't thank you enough for everything. Love youu! I've decided that I'm going to make a Vitani x Kopa story after I update some of the ones I already have on here. If you guys have any requests, let me know. Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you guys liked it! Until next time! :)**


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